Florida based Rum brand Papa’s Pilar has announced the latest rum in its Legacy series, Legacy Edition 2023, crafted in honor of surfing legend and big wave pioneer Greg Noll.
Although the brand 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.
The third expression in the series, this year’s offering celebrates Noll, who, like Hemingway, was known for constantly pushing boundaries. Nicknamed “Da Bull”, Noll stared down fear and achieved what many thought was impossible.
“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.
The limited-edition expression is made with rums from the Caribbean and South America that were blended in Bourbon barrels and Spanish Sherry casks and expertly finished in once-used Apple Brandy French Limousin oak casks. A small amount of the rum is also finished in apricot and orange bitters casks.
The resulting rum is complex and layered, offering a delicate aroma alongside an intense flavour profile. It has a scent of orange blossoms and a taste with slight hints of apricot and honeydew melon.
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. He went on to become a prominent surfboard shaper, a legacy that has been carried on by his son Jed Noll 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 honour.”
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.
A portion of the proceeds of all Legacy Edition 2023 sales will be donated to Pipeline to a Cure, a nonprofit organization founded to celebrate the role surfing played in the development of hypertonic saline, an important treatment for those living with cystic fibrosis. This is a cause near and dear to the Noll family and is aligned with Papa’s Pilar’s ties to the nautical industry.
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