Don Papa Small Batch

strong smell which bites the nose.
very unplpeasant artifical taste of vanilla and oranges maybe
unnatural spirit
not even a rum

To me this tasted very sweet. Was a lovely taste and I loved the flavour given off by the Woodford reserve bourbon casks. One of my top bourbons and as such this shot to the top end of my rum charts. Needs a sweet tooth...

...but prefer by far more the rums from A. H. Riise.

I bought this for a gift to a friend of mine in London...she loved it...

Rather buy the botucal diplomatico in the same price range though

One of the best rums, a beautiful vanilla scent, a wonderful taste, a pleasantly sweet finish. price 33 eur

I have a handfull of all time favorites and this is one of them.
I love sweet rums and there is always a bottle of Don Papa available at home.

I'm going to sit on the fence with this one and spend some of my time perched in that spot having a sip or two of this, whilst holding a glass of something else in the other hand.

Being honest, when you drink this, it's very moreish, smooth and likeable. In texture, it reminded me of one of those nicer liquid medicines you had when you were a kid - not the foul tasting one, but the ones with added gylcerine. You can taste and feel that added glycerine here, so it slips down your throat. Taste-wise, it's vanilla and caramel, fruit (possibly a sweetish lemon) and, well, rum. It has a light-liqueur quality for sure.

If I was marking this out of 10 for taste and drinkabilty, I'd give it a 9...
But, we're a RUM tasting and rating group, right? And we're not judging soda or liqueur. As a rum, this is not very resonant of what rum is - much less so than nearly any other spiced rum, many of which (despite the purists trashing them) are actually pretty decent rums with a variable kick or slant. So, as a rum, I'd give this 4. It's not harsh or unpleasant and it is still rum/rum-liqueur...albeit of an odd variety... so I can't give it less than that.

So, that takes me to a 7 as an average - I'll take 2 marks off for the fact that they seem to be doing stuff that they are not declaring - though they're not the only ones. I'll add on 1 on for the fact that the bottle and general presentation is 1st class.

So, 6 is my score. Will I buy this frequently?...no, but I would be happy to have a bottle in my cabinet as Christmas present and I will have a sip of it here and there. I also expect that many people who say they "don't like rum," my find it a gateway, and that has its uses.

I see many of the negative reviews that this is not a rum. With that being said, I have traveled to Cuba yearly since 1994. My favorite rums are Santiago 11years and Havana Club Seleccion de Maestros both which pair nicely with cigars. I also have an affinity to Vodka and Single Malt Scotch for Islay. Last winter I went diving to the Philippines and discovered Don Papa and fell in love with it; can it be argued it is not a true rum, possibly. It sets on the shelf with my other favorites and what I reach for depends on what I am in the mood for. Would I drink the Don Papa while I smoke a Cohiba or Trinidad, absolutely not. I add it to the numerous fun things in life I enjoy without putting a label on it and savor it for what it is and the things it does to my palette.

Was surprised to read some of the other reviews. Maybe I’m not that much of a rum snob. It’s smooth enough to sip without mix. It’s sweet and has a nice flavour. It’s distilled from molasses so it will be sweeter and a bit more syrupy than other rums. Not available, or hard to find in Canada. I’ll keep drinking it when it’s available.

Un rhum qui dénote par sa construction aromatique aux premiers abords très vanillé, par la suite un arrière goût de bonbon. Facile à boire, il manque cruellement de profondeur pour un rhum âgé.

Not too harsh with a hint of vanilla, great to just sip.