By Susan Young
Every now and again along comes an experience that is out of this world and a recent press trip to the Philippines organised by Don Papa was just that.
A long flight to the Philippines to visit the home of Don Papa Rum meant I had some time to watch a few documentaries including one on Jeff Bezo of Amazon and another on Jack Dorsey of Twitter. It was only after hearing the story of the creation of Don Papa by founder Stephen Carroll and co-founders Andrew John Garcia and Monica Llamas that I realised the story of Don Papa would also make a great documentary – it too is a great success story and there are quite a few similarities.
Don Papa was founded in 2012, was launched in the UK in 2015, and last year was sold to Diageo in a deal worth around £224 million upfront with a further potential consideration of up to £152 million through to 2028 depending on the brands growth. One of the nicest things about the whole story is that the Don Papa team couldn’t be more delighted for their founders.
Because at the very root of Don Papa’s success is the team and I got to meet quite a few of them over the week long visit.
Our trip also marked the end of the year long transition which in March sees Diageo assuming full responsibility for the business which it bought last year. There are a couple of Scottish connections to the brand – its very first UK distributor in 2015 was Scottish-based Marblehead – the company owned by Ricky Agnew that also launched Absolut, Kraken, and Wyborowa into the UK and some of the first machinery brought in to the Philippines when the sugar mills were originally set up back in the mid 1800s also came from Scotland.
This drinks field trip allowed us to immerse ourselves in Filipino culture and Don Papa Rum. I was on the trip alongside journalists from Business Traveller, Esquire, Forbes Magazine, City AM, Scottish Field and others, and it turned out to be a most amazing trip, not least because of the people we met and the places we visited, and of course the experiences we were introduced to. However, we didn’t meet Stephen because he was taking a well-deserved break.
The first stop on our travels was Manila. The capital is a bustling city which is one of the most populated in the world – the humidity, the tooting horns, motorcycle tuk tuks and crowded jeepneys – minibus-like buses which were full to bursting, crazy roads, food stalls and noise – it was an assault on the senses.
The other striking thing was every residence seems to have clothes line outside – I’m not sure whether Filipino’s like washing or whether they were outdoor wardrobes? But this wasn’t restricted to Manila! They certainly added colour. We stayed at the Picasso Residences and met over dinner at Lampara in Manila’s Makati business district where we experienced Filipino classics with a twist – for instance pulled pork and pork floss – yes that is a thing, and it was where we first learned some of the Filipino traditions – including the importance of sharing food and family experiences.
The people we met included Betsy and Monika from Don Papa who looked after us throughout the weeklong stay – and who managed to get us everywhere on time…no mean feat!
On this first night we rounded off the evening with a Don Old Fashioned cocktail at The Spirits Library – a innocuous looking bar from the outside, with the most amazing gantry I have ever seen – in fact the bar has more than 4,000 spirits in stock. It is just as well we only had time for one drink!
It was an early start the next morning as we headed back to the airport for a quick hour long flight to the Island of Negros where Don Papa was founded. The fourth largest island in the country covering some 5,000 square miles and with a population of around 5 million.
Negros’ first sugar baron
We flew into biggest city Bacolod and from there headed to Hacienda Santa Rosita in the provence of Negros Occidental. Frenchman Yves Leopold Germain Gaston, settled in Negros in the 1840s and became Negros’ first sugar baron when he set up the a successful Sugar Plantation and sugar mill in the 1850s – the old Muscovado Mill. This set the scene for the sugar boom.
The home his ancestors built, the Hacienda Santa Rosalia, is where the Don Papa story begins – around 2000, Stephen Carroll, at the time Global Marketing Director with Remy Cointreau, was in the Philippines on holiday on the Island of Negros – which has two provinces – the capital and urbanised area of Bacolod and Negros Occidental – the sugar capital or, as it is referred to locally, the sugar bowl of the Philippines, more commonly referred to as Sugarlandia.
He was visiting Negros and spending time with Joey Gaston, who is also the great grandson of Leopold Gaston, the man who founded the first sugarcane plantation. The conversation naturally came around to sugarcane and rum, with Stephen’s hosts lamenting the fact that there wasn’t a premium rum from Negros despite it being famous for its sugarcane.
Stephen’s creative head got to work and after this he started crafting the idea of Don Papa – a premium rum that would be made from the molasses from sugarcane which grew abundantly in Negros due to the quality of the soil at the foot of Mount Kanlaon – a live volcano.
Bleeding Heart Rum Company and Don Papa Rum created
Ten years later his plan came to fruition, with his first UK employees working out of his London home, when he created the Bleeding Heart Rum Company and Don Papa Rum. He named the rum after the unsung hero and mystic, Dionisio Magbuelas, best known as Papa Isio, a leading figure in the late 19th century Philippine revolution, who helped banish the Spanish.
Today Papa Isio’s image features on every bottle of Don Papa alongside the flora and fauna of Negros – they say there are 50 animals hidden within the design, and if you look closely at Don Papa’s monocle you might see a wee Gecko – the bottle was designed by local artists and and its packaging is 100% recyclable. Don Papa is now on sale in more than 30 countries and is an international success, which is no doubt one of the reasons that Diageo were so keen to buy it. We actually had lunch at the same table that Stephen first discussed the idea of Don Papa – in the Gaston ancestral home Hacienda Santa Rosaria which looks much today as it did in the 1930s (when it was built) because it has been kept as a living museum. We lucky enough to be shown around by Joey and Don Papa’s man in Negros – Ben Scharlin – an American-Filipino – who has returned to his homeland and is an expert on its history and on Don Papa.
He has many other strings to his bow, but that is another story! Today, although still family-owned, the house is really a homage to days gone by – you can see how the family would have lived. The bedrooms and the furniture are all as they were. It is charming and like stepping back into another era. The family tree, in the shape of a giant circle, takes pride of place in the entrance hall.
Joey explains, “Every three years the family come from all over the world and get together here and update the family tree and catch up with each other.” As well as a home, the Hacienda is also a Farm with a Sugar plantation that is also home to around 200 families with its members mainly employed on the plantation.
Joey’s great grandfather Frenchman Leopardo Gaston started out with a small area of land, but it quickly grew into a substantial plantation. He also put technology into the mill which allowed the sugarcane to be a commercial success, and this encouraged more people to come and set up plantations in Negros too.
Sugar becomes Philippines biggest export
When the then British Vice Consul Nicholas Loney formed a trading house and traded Muscovado Sugar out of Negros to the world, the industry exploded. Sugar soon took over from textiles as the Philippines biggest export and the wealth that it generated is one of the reasons that there are so many grand ancestral homes in Sugarlandia. Apparently, the socialising that went on during these boom times was also legendary.
We visited the nearby Chapel of the Cartwheels, which is beside the house, and the name describes the chapel very well – it is made of cartwheels. A great uncle, who was a priest, came back from visiting the Vatican and created the chapel so that he could preach to the local families.
As well as cartwheels, broken glass has been used to create the stained glass, and the carved Jesus – if you look closely, has Asian features. Around 200 families live on the farm that is the plantation.
But although sugar prospered until the 1980s there has been a signficiant downturn which has resulted in a necessity to find other ways to earn. In 1994 Joey and his wife set up a Hacienda Crafts – to augment the incomes of the farm community by providing opportunities from creating products utilising natural materials.
Today Hacienda Crafts items furnish homes, resorts, hotels and restaurants in the Philippines and abroad. Ninety percent of the artisans are women who work from home and are able to go about their lives while earning an additional income for their families at the same time. But we saw them at the Hacienda at work creating fabulous lampshades which I could visualise is some bars here.
After the Hacienda we headed to the famous sugar mill – but first we took a trip on a 100-year-old Don Papa Steam train – which took us through the heart of the plantation. It is the one remaining steam train in the province. We saw the sugarcane being cut, and saw the lush scenery, luckily for us, although it was a humid day, it had been raining, so it was a very comfortable journey. Just as well because the drivers were busy stocking the trains engine.
The Hawaiian Philippine Company turns sugar into molasses
Our next stop was The Hawaiian Philippine Company’s sugar mill in Negros where the sugarcane, the ancient Nobel Cane variety, is turned into molasses. This is the earliest step when it comes to producing Don Papa.
The molasses – also known as black gold, is left after the sugar has been extracted and this is used in Don Papa rum. It also helps that this molasses is distilled and aged up to seven years in the very humid climate. This compliments the relationship with the rum and wood the result a strong vanilla caramel base which comes from the oak barrels it is aged in. There was no sugar coating when we visited the mill. This was a very definitely a working mill, dusty, creaky, noisy and hot. We clambered up and down stairs and saw the sugarcane coming off the lorries and starting its journey.
We also saw the molten molasses being cooled and hand pummelled to create Muscovado sugar and we all got a bag to take home. Shri Shellar, a content creator who goes by the name travelladdoo, one of the lifestyle influencers on the trip, managed to make a fabulous short reel of the mill experience which makes the whole trip to the mill look sexy. It wasn’t really, but it was an interesting experience.
Then it was back to the hotel for a quick change before heading out to The Ruins, s formerly the Mariano Ledesma Lacson Mansion, which was built as a tribute to his late wife, before burning down. It has been called the Taj Mahal of Negros. This was another magical evening – the mansion was floodlit when we arrived, and there was entertainment from Chinese dancers (it was Chinese New Year) and superb Don Papa cocktails were on offer.
We also got an opportunity to talk to locals including Joey Gaston who also joined us for dinner and who I have persuaded to come and visit Scotland! I also met Martina Quirino Z and Tomas Zayco who run the Punta Bulata Resort where we were heading next.
Part of the enjoyment of the evening was learning about Filipino life and what comes through again and again and again is the importance of family and of eating and socialising together – something we did plenty of on our trip. We also paid a visit to a local bar called Tractor – it is usually frequented by locals and is mainly an outdoor venue with lots of ancient farm machinery dotted about.
The cocktail of choice this night was a Don Papa Mojito. The one thing I have noticed is that despite copious amounts of Don Papa, there were no apparent hangovers in the morning.
Don Papa distilled
Just as well because next day it was time to visit the Bago Distillery where Don Papa is distilled and aged in oak barrels. After a quick induction into the distilling process, we were given a tour – this Filipino distillery was as tidy as any I have seen in Scotland. And its is entirely self-contained – it produces its own energy, and it totally committed to sustainability – everything that can be recycled, is.
It also has its own dock from where it transports its distilled spirits all over the world. We sampled the Don Papa range in the Distillery warehouse surrounded by barrels of aging Don Papa. Very appropriate. We tasted the original spirit and then compared it to the original Don Papa 7-Year-Old, Don Papa 10, Rare Cask, Sherry Cask and Rye Cask, and Port cask.
After all that rum sampling (before noon) it was time to clamber back into our air-conditioned Mini-buses and head to the perfect place to sample a Don Papa Pina Colada – the Punta Balata Resort. A fourhour drive saw us traverse the National Highway South towards Sipalay – was as exciting as it was interesting, not least because the Highway is more of a busy, competitive racetrack!
But the journey itself took us through towns and villages where the daily life of local Filipino’s was laid bare. It gave us a fascinating glimpse into their lives as we whizzed past. From the kids coming out of school, to the dogs begging around the food stalls for food, to the booming music from the roadside stalls. We even managed a stop for lunch where we dined on Catfish and roasted chicken with Coconut drinks delivered in Coconuts. However, the location at the end of the journey was just magical – imagine the perfect tropical setting and that was what we saw.
Cocktails and beach Boodle at Punta Balata
Punta Balata sits on a 1km white tropical beach facing the Sula Sea in Cauayan and from the smiling team that greeted us and showed us to our rooms, to the perfect cocktail on arrival, it really was a tropical paradise. This was an opportunity to kick back and enjoy Don Papa in a variety of drinks and cocktails as well as enjoying a beach Boodle – a feast served on banana leaves and eaten with our hands – messy but delicious. We sat down to eat as the sun went down which added to the occasion.
That and the dancers brought into demonstrate the Filipino folk dance- Tinikling which originated during the Spanish colonial era and involves at least two people beating, tapping, and sliding bamboo poles on the ground and against each other before jumping over and in between. Some of the intrepid guests tried it too…
During our visit to Punta Balata, we also visited the beautiful Danjugan Island which was a very short boat ride from the resort. Don Papa has at its heart conservation, and it supports the work of the PRRCG the Philippines Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation, which manages the island.
This is not a tourist resort, instead it is an island where marine conservation is the prority and it is used more for educational trips and the occasional visits by others. Danjugan Island has white sandy beeches, mangrove forests and lagoons and is famous for its bat caves… which are both noisy and rather pungent. But it was the snorkelling that blew most of us away – the variety of colourful starfish, coral reefs and sea life was remarkable.
Our visit ended all to soon and it was back to the airport and to Manila for our last days. We stayed at the fabulous Fairmount Makati. We paid a quick visit to the Long Bar where and enjoyed a bite to eat, the ubiquitous Don Papa cocktail and a bit of Karaoke – Filipino’s love Karaoke! But London Lela did us proud.
Don Papa’s Manila HQ and Toya
During our last few days, we toured Manila – which is really bustling city full of people and our walking tour gave us an idea of the history not just of Manila but of the Philippines. We paid a visit to Don Papa’s HQ – where we enjoyed a rum masterclass with Brand ambassador Audrey and we were treated to dinner at one of Manila’s best restaurants, Toya, which has sustainability at its heart. It made it into Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2018 and is still there today. It’s run by husband-and-wife team Jordy and May Navarra, and it showcases Filipino produce in a modern way. The chef did describe each dish, but I can’t remember a word he said – just the unusual food.
Ruby Wong’s Godown
Our final day came too soon… but we did manage to squeeze a final visit to The Admiral Hotel where we watched the sun go down on an amazing week in the most amazing roof top bar which also boasted in its basement a secret cocktail bar called Ruby Wong’s Godown – we entered through a a bookcase entrance in the hotel’s lobby. It is a must visit.
We all toasted Don Papa and an amazing experience… the good news is that the brand is doing a push in Scotland this year, but having discussed my trip with various bartenders I know how well thought of it already is, in fact when I spoke to a friend – she also told me it was her favourite rum too. She has just about every expression – she started drinking it while staying in France.
A huge thank you to Clem and Jess of Clementine Communications, Monika, Patsy and the rest of the local Don Papa team. Sophie Clarkson of Diageo, and Patrick McAleenan of Jaw Dropping for sharing their knowledge and to my fellow travellers for being such good fun. Tagay!