Originally published in the Product Spotlight section of Volume 5, Issue 3 of Alcoholmanac Magazine

By Ben Alger

The Panama Canal gave the Western U.S. and Pacific Ocean countries easier accessibility for trade and commerce from the Atlantic. Consistent with that idea, Panama based Varela Hermanos SA brings us an accessible offering in Ron Abuelo Añejo (Aged) Rum. The company dates back to 1908 when Don Jose Varela Blanco launched the Republic of Panama’s first sugar mill. In 1935, the company began to distill sugar cane juice for liqueur production.

Ron Abuelo is one in a wide variety of liqueurs produced by Varela today. The rum is produced from sugar cane juice rather than molasses, and is aged in white oak bourbon casks. On the nose it’s sweet and somewhat astringent. The bark is louder than the bite though, as the mouth feel packs less of a sting and more of a lightly burnt caramel sweetness. Taste it neat or on the rocks first and think about the cocktails you’d mix it in from there. If you’re a rum novice like me, you’ll enjoy the taste and price point of this very accessible Central American rum.