Driving here is like Mario Kart on steroids. On either side of our rickety little refuge, seven metre-high walls of sugarcane protrude from the earth like giant tufts of grass; we, the ants. More on that guy later. Think of rum and I doubt the Philippines is what immediately springs to mind. Or the Caribbean which I do enjoy quite a bit. Or Jack Sparrow asking why the rum is always gone. After a night on the tiles in the capital Manila the night before, I have some notion as to where the rum might have gone.
Sugarcane has been prevalent here since BC, and was traditionally used in pre-colonial Philippines to make various jaggery unrefined sugar products, including cane wine, juice and drinking vinegars. The story of Papa Isio, a 19th century revolutionary, forms part of the inspiration behind the brand.
It also gave rise to the legend of Papa Isio. There, he met a group of babaylanes Filipino shaman who were leading a revolt against the Spanish.
Of course, it was a ruse. He was captured and died in prison. Over a decade ago, then Remy-Cointreau exec Stephen Carroll visited Bacolod, the de facto capital of Negros, and heard stories of Papa Isio and talk that the sugarcane grown here was some of the finest in the world thanks to the humid climate and rich volcanic soils.
He visited Hacienda Rosalia, the ancestral home of Victor Gaston, widely credited as one of the first sugar barons to commercially produce cane sugar. His descendants still run the operation and live in the enormous s mansion on the grounds.
