Ron Abuelo's roots are Spanish and date back to 1891, when José Varela Blanco, an 18 year-old man from Galicia, traveled to Panama in 1893. In 1908 he established the first sugar mill in the country, which he named "San Isidro".

ZAMORA COMPANY IBERIA, will market and distribute from September 1st in Iberia (Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Gibraltar and Travel Retail) the nine (9) expressions of the Ron Abuelo family´s award-winning and internationally recognized products which are among the best aged rums in the world.

The Ron Abuelo portfolio includes the classic range, Añejo, 7 Years, 12 Years and Centuria, all of which are aged in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels; and the adventurous range, rums that have a second maturation in a selection of special barrels: Finish Collection (Oloroso, Napoleon and Tawny), and the most recent Two Oaks and Three Angels. The finish of the latter two is in first-use extra-charred oak barrels, commissioned especially by Varela Hermanos exclusively for these products.

“We are very satisfied with the agreement reached with Ron Abuelo, which establishes a relationship and that will allow us to market in Spain an excellent Panama rum that has Spanish roots,” indicates Carlos Gallego, cluster director of Zamora Company Iberia.

Spanish origin

The history of Ron Abuelo is closely linked to Spain through the story of Don José Varela Blanco. Born in Montecelo, Galicia, Varela traveled to America in 1891 at the age of 18 and later settled in Panama in 1893. In 1908 he founded the San Isidro Sugar Mill, the country's first sugar mill.

After more than a century of family tradition, today they cultivate 1,600 hectares of sugarcane and they have one of the largest and oldest reserves of aged rums, with more than 120,000 barrels of American white oak. The company is currently run by the third generation of the Varela family. "Being able to reach the entire Spanish territory by the hand of Zamora Company fills us with satisfaction. We started this project with great emotion for everything that Spain represents for us. We are sure that consumers will enjoy the different expressions of Ron Abuelo, each one full of stories, tradition, and above all, a lot of passion”, stated Luis José Varela Jr., President and CEO of Varela Hermanos, S.A.

Varela Hermanos, S.A. continues to produce in the town of Pesé, on the same land where more than 115 years ago, Mr. José Varela Blanco founded the first sugar mill in the Republic of Panama. The rich and fertile soil of the Pesé Valley is ideal for sugarcane to thrive; and its particular microclimate, with very hot days and cool nights, make it the perfect place for the maturation of the rum.

Every year around 95,000 tons of sugarcane are processed, which after passing through the grinding, fermentation and distillation processes, result in the fine rums and liqueurs that the company produces.

“Throughout our history, we have honored my grandfather's love for the land, and his legacy, tenacity and a visionary spirit have accompanied us in every project we have undertaken.

The different expressions of Ron Abuelo are a testimony to our passion to produce the best aged rum, motivated by being able to take a little of our beloved Panama, and inspiring the following generations as always”, concluded Varela.