Wednesday, 8-16-17, was national rum day, so we decided to swap Bourbon drinking for a nice rum. So for one day Talking Bourbon will be Talking Rum. We will return to our regular scheduled broadcast shortly.
We are sampling, this rum day, Papa’s Pilar Dark. Papa’s comes in a short somewhat elegant corked bottle that sell for around $40 for the 750ml. It is bottled at 80 proof and while not in every liquor store, you should be able to find a bottle without too much trouble.
Papa’s Pilar Dark is a blend of 24 year old rums that are aged in Bourbon and port barrels with some additional finishing in sherry cask using the Solera method, whatever that means.
Helping TB today is Dave and veteran Talking Bourbon guest Clark. In fact it is Clark who is the rum aficionado of the group and who supplied the bottle. Talking Bourbon thanks you.
On a side note, according to the web site, the name was inspired by Earnest Hemingway’s zest for life. Papa being his nickname and Pilar his boat.
NOSE
Dave: A good nose of caramel and some kind of nut.
TB: Wow! This is not your father’s rum. Strong primary aromas of toffee, brown sugar, caramel, wood, butterscotch and fruit. Behind this is the nuttiness that Dave got plus picking up the sherry aging.
Clark: I get a lot of what was already stated above including the caramel, nuttiness and toffee. I also get a little honey and vanilla.
TASTE
Dave: I taste the caramel and the nutty taste I got on the nose. Also a nice smokey flavor. Very smooth.
TB: Heavy upfront flavors of caramel, toasted nuts, and sherry. Behind this was light tastes of brown sugar and vanilla. Also get a slight hint of coffee.
Clark: Brown sugar and caramel dominate. Some lesser tastes include oak and vanilla.
FINISH
Dave: Sweet, medium long finish with a hint of coffee .
TB: Agree with the sweet medium long finish, get a little bit of a varnish type taste at the very end.
Clark: I am also in with the sweet medium long finish. Along with that I get a slight taste that is reminiscent of Bourbon.
OVERALL
Dave: I find Papa’s Pilar Dark to be a very enjoyable easy drinking rum.
Todd: I will definitely get a bottle. And to Clark, this is really, really good rum(sorry, inside joke).
Clark: Ha, I love this stuff and will always have a bottle in my liquor cabinet.
Nose 4.5 out of 5
Taste 8.25 out of 10
Finish 4.25 out of 5
Total score 17 out of 20 barrels.
Well here is to national rum day! TB thinks it should be more often. This was a very good rum that we all drank neat and all considered very smooth. The price is a little high compared to some rums but the upgrade is definitely worth it. Really the only thing holding it back on the score was a somewhat lack of complexity.
At the end of the day we all greatly enjoyed sipping on Papa’s Pilar Dark rum and we think you will as well. Trust us on this one.