The story of Papa's Pilar

Ernest Miller Hemingway ( July 21, 1899 - July 2, 1961 ) was an American novelist, short story writer and journalist. He is known for his economical, understated style, which greatly influenced later 20th-century writers who admired his adventurous lifestyle and public image.

Most of Hemingway's works were written between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, during which time he published seven novels, six collections of short stories, and two works of nonfiction. Three of his novels, four short story collections, and three works of nonfiction were published posthumously. Many of these have become classics of American literature, and in 1954 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Hemingway grew up in Oak Park, Illinois . After high school, he was a reporter for The Kansas City Star for several months and then went to the Italian front , enlisting as an ambulance driver in World War I. In 1918 he was seriously wounded and returned home. His wartime experiences formed the basis for his novel A Farewell to Arms (1929). In 1921 he married Hadley Richardson, the first of his four wives. They moved to Paris, where he worked as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star and fell under the influence of modernist writers and artists from the " Lost Generation " expatriate community of the 1920s. His debut novel, The Sun Also Came Out, was published in 1926.

Hemingway became famous for his unique writing style, which is characterized by austerity and minimalism. His best-known works include novels such as Farewell, Army (1929), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940), and The Old Man and the Sea (1952), for which he won the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature. His works are often associated with themes of war, adventure and human compassion.

All his life he loved fishing, it was his hobby. His boat Pilar was his favourite way to sail the seas. He liked to drink good rum.

Ernest Hemingway struggled with depression and alcoholism and finally committed suicide on 2 July 1961 at the age of 61. His death was a great loss to the world of literature, but his work lives on and inspires generations of writers around the world.

Papa's Pilar rum is inspired by Ernest "Papa" Hemingway and his beloved ship Pilar.
Papa's Pilar is a rum that is designed to combine the art form of blending different international rums with the science of cask distillation and processing, capturing the essence of its namesake - Ernest Hemingway.

"Ernest Hemingway - also known as Papa - was a man of many things. He was a writer, a free thinker, an adventurer, an athlete and a bon vivant. But one thing he didn't pursue was spectatorship. This rum was created to tap into that mindset," says Jessie Behar, director of consumer strategy and engagement at Hemingway Rum Co, which makes the rum.

Key West, where the company is based, was Hemingway's home for many years. The place, which reflected his love of adventure and the sea, is the source of Papa's Pilar rum expresses, which are sourced from hand-selected rums from the Caribbean and blended through a proprietary solera process into a single drink with fresh Florida rum.

The rum expressions are then further replenished and perfected in bourbon barrels, port wine barrels and Spanish Oloroso Sherry barrels. Papa's Pilar's rums consist of a molasses base and, according to Behar, are designed to be lightly infused because that's what master distiller Ron Call says creates the best expression of the spirit.

"Most of the rums are 80 per cent ABV (40 per cent alcohol by volume). Papa's Pilar's rums have an excess alcohol content of 84 and 86 proof, with some special versions over 90 proof," he explains.

In the case of Papa's Pilar, however, it's not just about the rum, it's also about the story. The Hemingway family works closely with the brand, ensuring that Hemingway's legacy lives on through the spirit itself.

"We have worked very closely with members of his family to ensure that the brand and product capture his true essence. Hemingway's family remains committed and graciously donates the majority of their proceeds from Papa's Pilar to charity," says Behar.

Papa's Pilar and their partners support an approach to recovery that falls into these basic categories:

Coral research and propagation from existing coral fragments - it has been found accidentally that transplanting fragments instead of larger corals can dramatically reduce growth time. What used to take decades, 25 to 75 years, can now be done in just 2 to 3 years.
Permitting - obtaining permits to plant in designated areas.
Planting - building and deploying trained divers/planters to plant and monitor planting fields.
Awareness - letting everyone know what is happening, what the immediate impact is and how they can help.

And the best way to appeal to the general public is to produce a range of rums of exceptional quality. Master distiller Ron Call is a seventh-generation veteran distiller who has been in the distilling business for more than 45 years and traces his distilling lineage back to 1780.
Papa's Pilar's expressions - Blonde, Dark and Sherry Cask-Aged - are crafted from multi-sourced rums that Call has hand-selected from various points of origin for their unique flavor and age profiles. Sources include Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Venezuela and Florida. Call carefully blends and finishes each rum to bring out its best characteristics.

Since the brand's inception, the Hemingway family and Papa's Pilar rum have collectively contributed millions of dollars to causes that support literacy, water conservation, reef restoration and other worthy initiatives that would make Hemingway proud.