Review #: 45
Description: Papa’s Pilar Silver Rum
Spirit: Rum
Background: Papa’s Pilar is an American distillery/producer of rum. I believe that they source rum from several sources, including Florida, Central America, and the Caribbean. The silver rum is touted as a “7 Solera Profile” which basically is meaningless in the world of labelling, but basically the sourced rum is blended in bourbon and Spanish sherry casks, before blended into the final product. Papa’s Pilar comes under scrutiny from rum enthusiasts as they are not transparent with where their rum comes from, and it appears to be highly dosed with sugar. This was done semi-blind, so let’s see how it is without knowing much.
Note: Reviews 43 – 46 and 50 – 53 were done as part of a series of semi-blind samples thanks to my Secret Santa. Please keep in mind that I did not know the specifics until after posting my notes. This was labeled “Papa.” I had never heard of Papa’s Pilar prior to this reveal, so it was basically blind.
Distillery – Undisclosed
Bottler – Papa’s Pilar
Brand – Papa’s Pilar
Selection – N/A
ABV – 42%
Age – NAS
Nose – Black coffee, chocolate, molasses, very rich overall
Taste – Continuation of the nose, milk chocolate, sugar cookie, caramel, creamy with medium mouthfeel
Finish – Bitter coffee, toffee, medium length finish of heat and bitterness
Guess – 45-50%, Rum? Maybe some kind of liqueur?
Score: 4
Would I buy a bottle? No
Thoughts: While this was tasty, it was pretty one dimensional and very sweet. I have a sweet tooth, which led myself to enjoying it, but if you don’t like sweet, this would be too much. Dosing is a big point of contention in the rum world, and I think most drinkers and enthusiasts would agree, that more transparency would be greatly appreciated and not knowing where this comes from or what is actually in it, makes me want to stay away in the future.