Papa’s Pilar

I don't know much about alcohol. My old college friends would tell you I was somewhat of an aficionado of fine, inexpensive tequilas. Not the sipping kind. I also liked rum, but never liked to mix anything with it. Nowadays I occasionally enjoy a malted beverage and maybe even a distilled one from time to time.

 A sample of Papa’s Pilar rum made its way to my door recently. The effort expended on the packaging of the samples was impressive. Two small corked bottles were nestled in a custom wooden cigar box. Even the name, Papa’s Pilar, after Hemingway’s 38 foot Wheeler custom fishing boat, has a lot of thought behind it. This blended rum is said to be for those with a “spirit of adventure”. 

Beautifully Packaged

With my limited knowledge of fine liquors I decided to enlist the help of the most interesting person I know. This gentleman is an adventurer and has pretty much seen it all, in fact its easier to name the places he hasn't been. He also has much more experience than me when it comes to the finer points and nuances of rum tasting. My dad, Bill Bramblet, is a retired Army Colonel, World Traveller, Outdoorsman and an all around awesome guy.

Eager to Begin

  We began with the Pilar Dark. The color is a deep, clear caramel tone. As we gently inhaled the aroma of the rum, we noticed sweet vanilla notes followed by hints of coffee. Swirling a little in the glass, we could see it had good legs and was not thin at all. Taking a small sip and allowing the rum to slide over the tongue, we noticed a variety of subtle and not so subtle flavors of vanilla, cinnamon, pear liquor and a lingering spicy finish. Also, notes of caramel throughout. It finished clean with no aftertaste and was surprisingly smooth. The best word I can come up with to describe this rum would be exotic, and it would best be served neat, like a good bourbon.

Next, we set our sights on the Pilar Blonde. The color of this rum is as advertised, a little on the yellow side of clear. The nose of the blonde was a little less complex and while the Colonel detected a strong lemon citrus note, I thought it was more of a subtle tropical fruit aroma. The overall nose of this rum was less sweet despite the fruitiness. The taste was much smoother than the dark, with traces of cinnamon and nuts, maybe almonds. The finish was less spicy that the rum’s darker counterpart and lingered less as well. This would be an excellent cocktail rum and possibly dangerous in a mojito. 

I don't really remember this part

 Maybe it was the rum, but the conversation turned to our travels in the Caribbean and adventures yet to be experienced. I hardly noticed when we began tasting different distilled spirits, comparing one to the other. My dad has an extensive collection and soon we were tasting scotch, bourbon and anything else with a nice label on the bottle. Apparently I must have been exhausted, because the next thing I remember was waking up from a nice midday nap. One thing I do remember well is that I like Papa’s Pilar rum. Check out their website at www.papaspilar.com for more information on how they blend their product and a lot of cool information on the history of rum and stories about the rum’s inspiration, Ernest Hemingway. 

It was just a nap