After numerous trips to Key West, I finally scheduled a tour and tasting at the Hemingway Rum Company – Papa’s Pilar Distillery. Many visitors recognize the brand’s distinctive bottle shape, which I learned is modeled after Hemingway’s GI canteen. According to the distillery, he carried two—one for water and one for rum—an anecdote that frames how the brand links its production philosophy to Hemingway’s life and to the island’s maritime history. Papa’s Pilar was founded by Steve Groth (who also co‑founded Angel’s Envy Bourbon) with the approval of the Hemingway family. The name comes from Pilar, Hemingway’s fishing boat, and Groth’s first major decision was hiring seventh‑generation Master Distiller Ron Call, whose 45‑year career includes decades with Cruzan Rum and other Florida distilling operations.
The distillery occupies a former naval warehouse within one of Key West’s main tourist corridors, and the tour centers on the history of rum production, the development of the brand, the sourcing of its blends, and the role Hemingway’s life plays in shaping its identity. The distillery uses this connection as a framework for explaining its focus on exploration, blending traditions, and global rum influences.
The tour began with an overview of Caribbean rum production, starting in Barbados and the British Navy, and then tracing how “kill‑devil” rum moved north into the American colonies. One local historical detail stood out: when George Washington’s older half‑brother, Lawrence Washington, inherited the family estate, he renamed it after Edward Vernon, a friend and vice admiral in the British Navy. The rum connection comes from Vernon’s 1740 order requiring sailors’ rum rations to be diluted with water—a mixture that became known as “grog,” after Vernon’s nickname, “Old Grog.”
Moving further inside the facility, visitors see the solera-style aging system that defines much of Papa’s Pilar’s production. The brand blends rums from multiple regions -- Caribbean, Latin & South America, and Florida -- before aging and finishing them on-site. The tour highlights how different barrels contribute to the final profiles, with explanations of the role played by ex-bourbon, port, and sherry casks. This approach reflects the company’s goal of creating rums that echo the layered, traveled character associated with Hemingway’s journeys rather than tying the product to a single geographic origin.The tour briefly stopped between the copper pot still and column still for a broad overview of the distillation process. Using test tubes, the guide showed examples of each stage from the distillations to the various aging within the solera.
The visit ended with a sampling of several expressions including Rye finished and Sherry finished rums. My favorite was the Papa's Pilar Flagship Blonde Rum which after distillation is Solara blended and finished in ex-Bourbon barrels and Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks. Enjoy neat to savior the vanilla and banana notes or in a Mojito. The Papa’s Pilar Dark Rum is richer, drawing on a broader mix of aged components and deeper finishing casks to create a more robust profile. This maturation includes ex-Bourbon barrels, Port barrels, and Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks. Then there's the Papa’s Pilar Sherry Cask Finish Rum. It begins with the dark blend, then undergoes final maturation in 20-year-old Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks. Expect additional layers of nuts, spice, and toffee. Finally, the Papa’s Pilar Rye-Finished Rum is intense. It starts with the same aging process as the Dark Rum, but then finishes in American rye whiskey barrels that provide loads of spice and black pepper. The tour is highly recommended regardless of where you stand within the drinks business hierarchy or a fan of Hemingway, himself. The distillery uses its connection to Hemingway as a historical anchor, not a marketing gimmick. And visitors will get a clear history of rum as well as the blending, aging, and the decisions behind each Papa's Pilar expression.
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