Reviews for Don Papa Small Batch Rum
Good but could be better
For the price it is pretty good. I was also an American expat living in PI at the time and felt I should support local products. But it just did not give me the smooth palate the my rum of choice, Capt. Morgan Special reserve could produce.
However you will not be disappointed as the flavors are interesting. And PI does need local industry.
RV Feb 3, 2018
Wow!
Excellent! A unique smooth and flavorable rum.
Kaster Jan 7, 2018
low quality over hyped fake product
This is a fake rum designed to appeal to the unknowledgeable but moneyed consumer. tastes like cheap rum infused with cinnamon and sugared to death. no info about its makers, no distillery tours or viewing of their supposed oak aging (because they have none). an embarassment to the filipino people. do not buy.
rxd Sep 11, 2017
Disagreeing with the last few reviewers....
I don't pretend to know all that much about rum production - I have been a malt whisky drinker for much longer than a rum drinker - but this rum has converted me and a fair few of my friends to the wonderful world of rum. Don't get me wrong, I still love my single malt but there is something very easy drinking about this rum. It has the wonderful smell of Christmas in a bottle, seriously delicious smelling, and it tastes fantastic - so smooth and drinkable you should never put ice in it, let alone mix it but of course that is a personal opinion. I bought a bottle of Mourant rum and that will definitely have to be mixed with something as it is not very pleasant. I am a fan of Millonario XO, Diplomatico, Angostura 1919 and Zacapa 23 year old but this is my go to Rum. Having said that I have just taken a new delivery and some previously untried ones and those are shaping up pretty well too!
Master of Malt Customer Jul 28, 2017
Not Rum. Not good. It's bad in every way imaginable, except the marketing.
This rum is a cash grab concocted by corporate marketers and ad men attempting to appeal to the discerning drinker. And by "discerning" I mean: has money and knows diddly squat about spirits, especially rum.
If rum had the rules and regulations of Scotch or Bourbon this stuff wouldn't even be allowed to market itself as rum. Small batch?!? LOL! Next time you're in the Philippines I dare you to visit this no doubt charming boutique distillery... Perhaps spend an evening sampling their rum and experiencing the terroir of the region. I'm sure a day at the distillery, which absolutely isn't some industrial beverage facility, would be very beautiful and romantic...
Look, the truth is that this is industrially produced sugar/molasses based (I'm being generous here) ethanol which has been gussied up with all manner of sweeteners, artificial flavours, colours and god knows what else (glycerol and vanillan at least, according to lab tests) to make it palatable--and it isn't! Bad enough that they call it rum, but it commits an even greater sin than playing fast and loose with the truth -- it tastes bad!
Oh, and aged 7 years? Hilarious. I doubt it's been aged at all. After all, we all know what age statements mean on rum (hint: it rhymes with truck ball). It's a good thing rum drinkers don't seem to care about things like age statements and hidden additives, otherwise they might start getting what they're paying pay for: quality. Oh, and the corporations behind this rum-esque liqueur may no longer be able to rake money hand over fist from credulous people with more money than sense.
Master of Malt Customer Jul 20, 2017