Story by Ken Panton
Photos by David Lewis Taylor

Traveling to the far reaches of the world is indeed a privilege for us and we are always thrilled to go the extra mile – especially when our journey is certain to end with a world-class cocktail. For our introduction to the new Ron Abuelo Rum we traveled to its birthplace, via a scenic 45-minute plane ride from Panama City, to the distillery in Pese, Panama.

Ron Abuelo is authentic dark rum that embodies the ultimate values of this third generation Panamanian family owned distillery. For over 100 years the Varela Hermanos have been at the forefront of the industry and today they produce the leading spirits in Panama and their Rums are recognized around the world for its excellence. High Quality Ron Abuelo 12 is the latest addition to their offerings and the traditions of exceptional quality enhance this libation with a luxury that can only be earned with experience. Surrounded by fertile farmlands our guided tour around the factory was fascinating. The process of creating fine Rum is as detailed as the production of wine and our experience included an historical demonstration complete with an ox carrying the sugar cane into the factory.

Even with today’s automation in all aspects of the production the distillery is alive with the perfumed scent of rum and sugar. The new Ron Abuelo 12 is created from the company’s own sugar cane and was created for connoisseurs of life’s finest indulgences. Graced with a richer body than their 7-year rum, this new dark rum is smooth in every way and will appeal to the most demanding gourmets and the young jet-set crowd with equal allure. This best of the best Rum, Ron Abuelo 12 is now being imported to the US by Varela Imports of Miami, Florida.

www.varelahermanos.com