The product is named after Table Isioa leader of the Philippine Revolution during the 1890s who worked as a foreman on a sugar plantation on Negros Island.
Don Papa is a nickname – his real name is Dionisio Magbuelas – used after the Philippine revolutionary victory against the Spanish and Christianity, as if to say that he was the real pope. Legendary character, he is defined from time to time healer, shaman and mystic. And in our time exploited commercially; Here are some passages from the magical world built by the Philippine company’s marketing around Philippine rum from The Bleeding Heart Company: «Don Papa is inspired by Sugarlandia, a mysterious but seductive world where things are not always what they seem and where time is surprisingly smooth. It is a wonderful place where the senses are exalted and the mind flies free. One of the lesser-sung heroes of the Philippine revolution, Papa Isio, led his compatriots in the ousting of the invaders of his beloved land. Today, the sugar cane, which he once cultivated, is used to pay him tribute ».
The production in the island of Negros
Over half of Philippine sugar cane production is concentrated on the island of Negros, which is about half the size of Sicily.
Hacienda Rosalia near Bacolod, the island’s capital, is the historic supplier of sugar cane to The Bleeding Heart Company.
The plant is cut after 11 months and within a few hours it must be sent for grinding, to prevent it from drying out and losing most of the juice.
On the island of Negros there is an active volcano – Mount Kanlaon. On its slopes are endless fields of sugar cane about 3 meters high. The harvest takes place both manually and by machine.
Don Papa rum is molasses product following the grinding of sugar cane in the sugar mill of Hacienda Rosalia.
A molasses known locally as “black gold” is obtained. Which is fermented, before being column distilled at the Bago Distillery and aged for a minimum of seven years in American oak (ex-bourbon) cask casks in a particularly hot, humid and tropical climate.
The business and distribution in Italy
More than 90% of the Don papa Rum market is represented by Europe, starting with Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic.
The Filipina business blogger Tina writes on Diageo data that Don Papa Rum has consistently outperformed the market in Europe, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29%. And 18% in Europe and 27% in the United States between 2016 and 2021.
In Italy the product is sold and distributed exclusively by Rinaldi 1957.
In addition to the 7-year-old Don Papa rum (40° alcohol content), the Bolognese company also sells the 10-year-old Don Papa (43°), the 7-year-old Baroko (40°) and the 3-year-old Don Papa Masskara (40°). name of a colorful Filipino festival – the Masskara Festival, a local carnival – which is celebrated every year on the fourth Sunday of October.
The type of rum
Rum can be made from the distillation of sugar cane juice or molasses. This difference generates the first major classification among the agricultural rums and traditional rums.
In the first case, the juice extracted from the cane is sent directly to fermentation without producing sugar.
While the traditional rum is obtained with the distillation of molasses, such as the Filipino Don Papa.
The Philippines also produces Tanduay, the world‘s best-selling rum brand in 2021 according to Drinks international’s The Millionaires club supplement.