🇵🇦Panama

Friday Happy Hour: Introducing Ron Abuelo Centuria

Ron Abuelo Centuria/SBPR

I spent $100+ on a pair of boardshorts today.

Excessive? Yes. Stupid? Maybe, but I live less than five miles from the beach in Fort Lauderdale, my house doesn’t have a pool and summer is here. Even when I’m not traipsing around the Caribbean, I’ll still be living in those things for the next few months while trying to maximize time with my kids at/on the water.

Different things are simply valued differently by different people. Take today’s Friday Happy Hour selection, Ron Abuelo’s masterful new Centuria, for instance. Most casual rum drinkers would shudder at the thought of forking over what might seem like an excessive $130 for a bottle of this stuff.

My response to them: don’t be stupid.

Few are the ultra-premium rums I’ve had the chance to sample in recent years that live up to such a premium price-tag as Ron Abuelo Centuria. It’s no wonder, though, as this fine spirit has literally been 100 years in the making.

Well, actually the company that produces Ron Abuelo, Varela Hermanos, has been 100 years in the making. This special, limited edition solera was commissioned to celebrate the centennial anniversary, ergo the name Centuria.

The rum inside the bottle may not be 100 years old, but it’s certainly no slouch as a mature blend of rums aged up to 30 years. Oh yeah, and it’s damn tasty! I had the privilege of being among the first people in the U.S. to get a taste of Centuria at the 2011 Miami Rum Renaissance Festival, where it was introduced to the stateside market for the first time. Next to the endless parade of alluring sights at this sexiest of all rum parties, the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival is also renowned as one of the top annual showcases for new rum introductions. Clearly, if you like this blog, and our Friday Happy Hour series in particular, you’ll want to add this Festival to your annual social calendar.

So, what did I think of Centuria? I found it to be sophisticated and smokey with that distinctive wood flavor you typically get with well-aged rum. I also picked up on some spices – vanilla and butterscotch in particular – that added a nice touch. There’s a wonderful warmth to Centuria that stays with you like an extended, loving embrace long after the first drops meet your lips. Truly special stuff that would make a wonderful addition to any rum-lover’s top shelf.

Only 200 cases of Centuria are being imported into the U.S., so if you’re inclined, I suggest you move fast to get your hands on a bottle or two. Personally, I’d prefer to don my new fancy pants and head to Panama to the source of Centuria, but I’d settle for a few sips of this stuff just about anywhere I can find it.

Yes, it’s that good.

¡Salud!

Last updated by Steve Bennett on .

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