The Renegade Rum Panama (Don Jose 1997) from the Renegade Rum Company was distilled at the Don Jose Disatillery (also known for the production of Ron Abuelo) in the Pese region of Panama on the Azuero Penninsula. This distillery was established around 1940 by the Spaniard Don José Varela Blanco who emigrated from Spain to Panama in 1908. Don José settled in the village of Pese and proceeded to establish one of the country’s first sugar mills (in the Village of Pese). It was about 30 years later that Don José and his Sons began to distill rum from the excess sugar cane and molasses. Today (nearly 75 years later), the Don Jose Distillery controls and/or produces about 90 % of all Rum in Panama.
The Renegade Rum Panama (Don Jose 1997) was first distilled in a column still, and then aged for ten years in Panama in used bourbon barrels. The rum was then shipped to Scotland for finishing in a Port pipe at the Bruichladdich Distillery. The Rum is bottled in the 700 ml squat decanter style bottle shown below at 46 percent alcohol by volume
Here is a link to the review of the #38 spirit on my Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits Countdown.
#38 – Renegade Rum Panama (Don Jose) 1997
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
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After distillation, the Zacapa rum is transported to the ‘House above the Clouds’ in the Guatemalan mountains for maturation. Special cellars age the rum at an altitude of more than 7000 feet above sea level where the ambient temperature is much more stable and the oxygen levels are lower than at lower elevations. The more stable ambient temperature ensures that the aging barrels are subject to less differential air pressure between the outside and the inside of the barrel.
The age statement on the rum is based upon certification in the United Kingdom (I note that the UK customs system is very stringent). Unfortunately there is no record of when the rum was shipped from Guyana to the UK, but my speculation is that it was probably meant to be part of the blend of a ‘navy style’ rum as Port Mourant Rum (from the Double Wooden Still) is one of the key ingredients in those British Navy Rums.
The Wyborowa Exquisite was one of the very first Vodka spirits I reviewed upon my website. I loved it at once, and upon re-tasting the spirit for my Top 100 Spirits Countdown, I fell in love with it all over again.
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