Don Papa Masskara 2018

Don Papa Masskara is a flavoured expression from the Bleeding Heart Rum Company on Negros Island in the Philippines, named for the city of Bacolod's MassKara festival. Built on the brand's Filipino molasses rum, it leans into bright, confected citrus rather than the structure of a traditional aged spirit.

The character is dominated by honeyed orange, caramel and vanilla, with candied orange peel carrying the finish, intensely sweet and openly liqueur-like. Honesty is essential with a bottle like this: it reads as a citrus-infused, heavily sweetened spirit rather than a dry, savoury rum, and is best understood as such. It comes alive over ice, in cocktails or even poured over ice cream, where its sweetness and orange character are an asset. Drinkers who prefer dry, traditional rum will almost certainly find it artificial; those who enjoy orange liqueurs and sweet, spiced styles will find it an easy, dessert-friendly pour with a festival's worth of citrus.