Panama is not usually the first country people think about when they start talking about the great rum producing countries of the Caribbean and Latin America, but it should definitely be on the list. Panama has a long history of sugarcane production and rum making, and the country produces everything from inexpensive white and golden rum designed for mixing to seriously aged bottles that are meant to be slowly enjoyed rather than thrown into a bucket of cola.
What makes Panamanian rum particularly interesting is the range. You can walk into a supermarket and find a cheap bottle for a few dollars, pick up a decent aged rum for a little more, or spend considerably more on an elaborate premium bottle that has spent years in oak and sometimes receives additional aging in barrels that previously held port, sherry or other spirits.
And then there is seco, which technically isn't rum but absolutely deserves a place in the conversation because it is one of Panama's most important sugarcane spirits.
Ron Abuelo: The Giant of Panamanian Rum
When most people talk about Panamanian rum, the first name that comes up is Ron Abuelo.
It is produced by Varela Hermanos in Pesé, in Herrera Province. The family business goes back to the early twentieth century, while rum production began in the 1930s and the Ron Abuelo brand itself was introduced in 1960.
The name Abuelo means grandfather, which gives the brand a wonderfully Panamanian sounding identity. You will see Ron Abuelo everywhere in Panama, from supermarkets and liquor stores to restaurants, bars and homes.
But Ron Abuelo isn't one particular rum. It is an entire family of rums.
The basic Ron Abuelo Añejo is the entry point. It is an aged Panamanian rum designed to be affordable enough for everyday drinking while still having considerably more character than a basic white mixing rum. The producer describes it as being aged in white oak, with caramel, coconut, chocolate, tropical fruit and spice notes.
Then things start getting more serious.
Ron Abuelo 7 Años
The Ron Abuelo 7 Años is where you begin moving from inexpensive mixing rum toward a bottle you could comfortably drink on its own.
It is aged for seven years and develops the caramel, vanilla, oak and dried fruit characteristics that people generally associate with properly aged rum.
Seven years in Panama's tropical climate is not necessarily comparable to seven years in a cool European cellar. Tropical aging can be considerably more active because heat accelerates the interaction between the spirit and the wood.
That gives Panamanian rum a very different personality from some European aged spirits.
The 7 Años is also an excellent example of why you don't necessarily have to spend a fortune to get a good Panamanian rum.
Ron Abuelo 12 Años
Then comes the Ron Abuelo 12 Años.
This is a more mature rum aimed at people who want to sit down and actually taste the spirit rather than simply use it as a mixer.
It has more oak influence and greater depth than the younger versions. The twelve year expression became part of the Ron Abuelo family in 2008.
This is the sort of bottle that works nicely after dinner.
You don't need a giant glass full of Coca Cola.
Pour a little into a proper glass, let it sit for a few minutes and smell it before taking a sip.
Suddenly rum becomes a completely different experience.
Ron Abuelo Two Oaks
The Two Oaks expression takes the idea of barrel aging further.
The name refers to the influence of two different types of oak during the aging process. Instead of simply producing another older rum, the idea is to use different wood influences to build additional layers of flavour.
This is where rum becomes particularly interesting for people who enjoy whisky or other barrel aged spirits.
The wood can contribute vanilla, caramel, toasted flavours, spice, dried fruit and subtle bitterness, and the exact combination depends on the barrels and the aging process.
Varela Hermanos currently lists Two Oaks among its Ron Abuelo expressions.
Ron Abuelo Finish Collection
This is where things get considerably more exotic.
The Ron Abuelo Finish Collection takes aged rum and gives it an additional finishing period in special barrels.
The collection has included expressions finished in different types of casks, including port and sherry influenced versions. The result is a rum that begins with the familiar Panamanian character and then picks up flavours from the second barrel.
One example is the Ron Abuelo XV Tawny, which uses tawny port casks for its finishing stage. A Panamanian rum that has spent years aging in oak and then receives additional influence from a port barrel can develop completely different flavours from an ordinary rum.
The Panama Rum Guide describes the Tawny as a blend of rums with a weighted average age of 15 years, initially aged in ex bourbon barrels and then finished in port pipes.
There have also been sherry finished expressions.
For someone who likes experimenting with spirits, this is one of the most fascinating parts of Panamanian rum.
Ron Abuelo Centuria
At the upper end of the Ron Abuelo family is Centuria.
Centuria was developed to commemorate the company's centenary and is intended as a premium reserve style rum. Varela Hermanos lists it as one of the core expressions in the Ron Abuelo range.
The rum uses older reserves and a solera style aging system.
This is no longer the bottle you buy because you need something cheap for a party.
This is the bottle you buy because you want to see what Panama can do when it takes rum seriously.
Carta Vieja
Ron Abuelo gets most of the international attention, but Panama has another important historic rum name: Carta Vieja.
Carta Vieja traces its history back to 1915 and produces several different styles of rum. Panama's government export catalogue describes its products as including extra light rum, clear rum, aged rum, Barril Doble and a premium golden rum.
The Ron Carta Vieja Extra Claro is a transparent rum aged for several years but designed to retain a lighter character.
This kind of rum makes sense for cocktails.
You don't necessarily want a heavily oak influenced 15 year rum when you're making a mojito or another cocktail where you want the other ingredients to remain prominent.
Carta Vieja also produces darker and more mature expressions.
Its Barril Doble, for example, is an eight year rum associated with a two wood aging process, with notes of vanilla and dried fruit.
The company has therefore occupied both ends of the market, from relatively straightforward mixing rum to more mature bottles.
Ron Cortez
Another Panamanian rum name you may encounter is Ron Cortez.
It is associated with Varela Hermanos and comes in several styles, including Cortez Blanco and Cortez Oro. Varela Hermanos currently lists both among its spirits available for purchase.
The Blanco is the lighter option and makes sense for cocktails and mixed drinks.
The Oro is the golden style, offering more colour and a somewhat richer character.
These are the sorts of bottles that make sense when you want Panamanian rum without moving into the more expensive premium category.
Ron Calero
Panama's rum scene goes beyond the major supermarket brands.
The Ron Calero range comes from Las Cabras in Herrera Province and includes much more premium expressions.
The Panama Rum Guide lists Ron Calero Single Barrel 21 Años, a 21 year old rum aged in American white oak barrels.
That is a completely different category from the inexpensive rum you buy for a backpacker party.
A 21 year old single barrel rum is something for people who are interested in aged spirits, barrel character and collecting.
The same producer is associated with other aged rum projects as well, demonstrating that Panama's rum industry is much broader than the names most tourists see in supermarkets.
Calico's Crew
One of the more unusual names appearing in Panama's premium rum scene is Calico's Crew.
The Panama Rum Guide lists Anne Bonny's Favorite, an eight year aged rum produced by Las Cabras and aged in ex bourbon barrels in Panama's tropical climate.
Even the pirate inspired name feels appropriate for Panama.
The country has an extraordinary maritime history, and a rum brand inspired by Caribbean piracy somehow seems almost inevitable.
The white rums
Not every rum in Panama is meant to be slowly savoured.
White rum is extremely important because it is the foundation of countless cocktails.
A lighter Panamanian rum can be mixed with cola, fruit juice, lime, coconut, ginger ale or other mixers. It is also useful for cocktails where you don't necessarily want the strong oak and caramel flavours of an older rum.
This is where brands such as Carta Vieja and Cortez become particularly useful.
The beauty of inexpensive white rum is that you don't need to treat it like a rare bottle.
It's party rum.
Cocktail rum.
Beach rum.
Hostel rum.
The bottle that somehow disappears faster than anyone remembers.
Golden rum
Golden rum sits between white rum and dark aged rum.
It has usually spent some time in barrels and develops colour and flavour from the aging process.
Golden rum is extremely versatile because it can be mixed while still having enough flavour to make the drink interesting.
This is the kind of rum you might find in a basic rum and cola, a tropical cocktail or simply poured over ice.
Dark and aged rum
Dark rum is where the flavours become more pronounced.
Longer barrel aging can produce deeper colour and flavours associated with caramel, vanilla, oak, dried fruit, chocolate and spices.
The important thing is that dark doesn't automatically mean old.
Colour alone doesn't tell you how old a rum is.
Some rums can be darkened or blended to achieve a particular appearance, while genuinely aged rums develop their colour and character through barrel maturation.
If you're buying a premium bottle, look beyond the colour.
Look at the age, the barrel treatment and how the rum was produced.
And then there is Seco
Seco deserves its own section because visitors often confuse it with rum.
Seco Herrerano is not simply another type of rum.
It is a Panamanian sugarcane spirit made from sugarcane juice and distilled through a four column system. Varela Hermanos describes it as a neutral and versatile spirit and calls it the national liquor of Panama.
It is also considerably more important to everyday Panamanian drinking culture than many tourists realize.
Seco is used in cocktails and mixed drinks and is generally inexpensive.
If you want to understand Panama's drinking culture, trying a seco cocktail can actually tell you more about the country than ordering another imported vodka.
Flavoured spirits and rum based drinks
Panama also has sweeter and flavoured products.
Varela Hermanos produces Jumbie, including a coconut flavoured version, while its broader portfolio includes other flavoured spirits.
These products are aimed at a completely different drinking experience.
They are less about sitting beside a fireplace contemplating the influence of oak and more about tropical drinks, parties and easy drinking.
Coconut rum in Panama makes perfect sense.
You have beaches, coconuts, tropical fruit and hot weather.
Nobody had to think particularly hard about that combination.
Why Panamanian rum tastes different
One of the most interesting things about Panama's rum is the climate.
Panama is hot and tropical, and barrels age in conditions that are dramatically different from cooler climates.
The interaction between spirit, wood and temperature is part of what gives tropical aged spirits their distinctive character.
Panamanian producers also use different approaches to maturation, including ex bourbon barrels, different oak treatments, solera systems and finishing barrels.
That means two bottles can start with a similar sugarcane derived spirit and end up tasting remarkably different.
Rum for every budget
This is perhaps the best thing about rum in Panama.
You don't need to be wealthy to explore it.
You can buy an inexpensive bottle of local rum for mixing.
You can spend a little more on a seven year old rum.
You can move up to a twelve year old.
You can explore special barrel finishes.
And eventually you can get into premium and very old bottles such as Centuria or a 21 year old Calero.
There is therefore a Panamanian rum for almost every situation.
Cheap party: white or golden rum.
Cocktails: lighter rum or seco.
Rum and cola: golden or aged rum.
Beach afternoon: inexpensive local rum and tropical juice.
Dinner: seven or twelve year old rum.
Slow sipping: premium aged rum.
Special occasion: Finish Collection, Centuria or another premium Panamanian expression.
The best way to discover Panamanian rum
The fun thing about rum in Panama is that you don't have to become a rum expert.
Start with something inexpensive.
Try a white rum.
Try a golden rum.
Try Ron Abuelo Añejo.
Then try the 7 Años.
If you enjoy that, move to the 12 Años or one of the special finishes.
Then, if you become slightly obsessed with the whole thing, start exploring the smaller Panamanian producers and premium bottles.
And don't forget the seco.
Because if you're travelling around Panama, particularly as a backpacker, you are likely to encounter it sooner or later.
Panama's rum culture isn't just about expensive bottles sitting behind glass. It is also about cheap drinks, beach bars, family gatherings, parties, cocktails, celebrations and people sitting around talking late into the night.
That is probably the best way to understand Panamanian rum.
It ranges from a cheap bottle that helps start a backpacker evening to a beautifully aged spirit that deserves to be poured slowly and appreciated.
And somewhere between those two extremes is the real fun of exploring rum in Panama.