The latest rum from the Hemingway-inspired Papa’s Pilar Rum brand is another luxe bottling that not only honors the company’s namesake but also another man, surfing legend Greg Noll. This is the third Legacy Edition and the second we’ve reviewed.
Some background:
Papa’s Pilar Rum was created alongside the Hemingway family to celebrate Hemingway’s life. Each Legacy Edition release pays homage to the iconic novelist along with other legends who live out his ‘Never A Spectator’ mantra and live life to the fullest. This year’s offering celebrates Noll, who, like Hemingway, was known for constantly pushing boundaries. Nicknamed “Da Bull” and known for wearing his iconic black and white striped boardshorts, Noll stared down fear and achieved what many thought was impossible. While this rum was created for a surf legend, it also celebrates and is intended for anyone who has a thirst for adventure.
“Much like Ernest Hemingway, Greg Noll was larger than life; he was a surfing trailblazer but also a committed craftsman. This duality, daring exploration and meticulous craftsmanship, not only applies to these legends, but is the heart of the Papa’s Pilar brand,” said Steve Groth, Founder and CEO of Papa’s Pilar. “We’re thrilled to share our Legacy Series, masterfully crafted using innovative processes and blended rums from around the world.”
As the pioneer big wave rider, Noll proved it was possible to surf massive waves and is credited as the first person to surf, in 1964, the Third Reef Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, a day captured in an iconic photograph by John Severson that ran in Surfer Magazine. He went on to become a prominent surfboard shaper, founding Greg Noll Surfboards in Manhattan Beach, California. Greg made his way to Crescent City, California, where he continued to shape custom wood boards inspired by the early shapes that date back to the early 1900s and purchased by worldly known collectors. Noll passed away in 2021, but his legacy lives large, carried on by his son Jed Noll in San Clemente, California, at Noll Surfboards.
“My father was an inspiration to so many, and it’s important to me to have his legacy live on, both through Noll Surfboards, but also by bringing his story to others,” said Jed Noll. “Working with the Papa’s Pilar team and Hemingway family on this one-of-a-kind rum to celebrate my father has been an honor.”
To honor Noll’s legacy further, Papa’s Pilar has collaborated with his family to incorporate unique design elements inspired by Noll’s life and the legacy he left behind. As with all Papa’s Pilar releases, the bottle is fashioned after a WWII canteen. The bottle comes wrapped in white canvas with the rum’s name printed on the front and black and white stripes on the back as a nod to the swim trunks Noll was known for. Wood pieces incorporated in the bottle’s medallion and within a custom coaster, tucked into the back of the canvas wrap, are crafted from remnants saved over the years at the Noll’s shop, the very wood used to make the family’s iconic surfboards. The bespoke coaster – each of the 3,000 is a unique creation – features the Noll redwood with the Papa’s Pilar nautical icon on one side, and the famous silhouette of Noll facing down a wave in his iconic shorts. The Legacy 2023 offering has golden brass elements on various locations of the bottle and features the Noll redwood medallion.
Was Hemingway a surfer? No, but he wrote about surfing and, being a Florida man, couldn’t have been far from it on a daily basis. We’ll let the honor stand as is and focus instead on the rum: Per Papa’s Pilar, the blend includes rums from the Caribbean and South America that were blended in bourbon barrels and Spanish sherry casks, and finished in once-used apple brandy French Limousin oak casks. Intriguingly, a small amount of the rum is also finished in apricot and orange bitters casks.
The complex blend shows as surprisingly pale jn the glass, but the nose belies its depth of character. Powerfully fruity but also loaded with cracked black pepper notes, the rum plays both sides of the court, folding layered, nuanced sweetness into the racy, spicier side, which ultimately wins out over the aromas of apricot and mandarins.
The palate tells a somewhat different story. The fruit is again aggressive up front here, but rather oxidized, slightly bitter, and unctuous in the way a triple sec can be. Orange notes are heavy, almost to the exclusion of other flavors. As it develops on the tongue, the more expressive citrus quality takes on a more floral character, melding with notes of earthy honey and touch of melon on the backbone. Ample caramel and vanilla throughout, with a fairly aggressive punch of tannin clinging to the roof of the mouth on the fade-out.
It’s a decidedly unique “sipping” rum that has its own story to tell — though it won’t play nicely with most cocktails.
88 proof. 3000 bottles produced.
B+ / $110 / hemingwaywhiskeys.com
Papa’s Pilar Rum Legacy Edition 2023
$110
