la marielita panama
La Marielita. 95 Points.
Eat & Play

Rum Journal: The Best Rum From Panama 

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - July 22, 2023

It’s a Panamanian rum with a Cuban soul. 

This is La Marielita, a boutique rum blended by the legendary Cuban master ronero Don Pancho that just so happens to be his best post-Cuba expression. 

The rum is the brainchild of the married team of Janet Diaz-Bonilla and Luis Bonilla, who have crafted it in tribute to the 1980 Mariel Boatlift.

The rum is a blend of rums at least 18 years old, all aged in American white oak ex-bourbon casks. 

Don Pancho has been working in Panama for decades, including his eponymous line of Don Pancho rums (which include eight, 18 and 30-year expressions). 

The Marielita team says this blend is one Don Pancho had been saving for the right moment, agreeing to use it when he heard the Bonillas’ story.

It’s also is his best: an outstanding, faithful expression of Cuban rum flavors through Panamanian juice. 

So what’s this 40-degree rum like?

On the nose, there are notes of key lime, pineapple and toffee. 

The flavor profile is marked by vanilla, brown sugar, tobacco, cacao, pepper, caramel and even a hint of tarragon. 

The finish is wonderfully round; it’s a balanced, complex rum, filled with personality but impressively elegant. 

It’s one of those lovely surprises in a Rum Journal tasting; where you taste and taste, and then just keep tasting, searching and finding new flavors each time, until the glass is empty. 

Now for the Cuban part. 

So many rums with a Cuban “pedigree” claim to evoke that island but fail to do so (you know who you are). 

This one actually feels Cubanesque: the flavors, the playfulness, the romance and the drinkability. 

But Panama is the bigger story here; even for an island that is one of the biggest rum producers in the Caribbean Basin, this new rum is an outlier: simply put, La Marielita is the best rum you can buy from Panama. 

Rum Journal Review

95 Points 

— CJ

Popular Posts

A.R. Carnegie, 74, Caribbean Legal Legend

A Caribbean Journal Editorial He was never a judge, never a Queen’s Counsel. His robes were never silk. But A. Ralph Carnegie was a Caribbean John Marshall if there ever was one. Ralph Carnegie, A.R. in scholarly texts, passed away […]


Robinson: Manatt Approached Government

Lackston Robinson, Jamaica’s Deputy Solicitor General, testified that it was the law firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips, and not the Jamaican Government/Jamaica Labour Party, that made the first move to solicit a contract to lobby the White House, he told […]


IMF Back in Antigua on Performance Review

The International Monetary Fund has sent a team to Antigua for a third review of the nation’s performance on a stand-by arrangement with the IMF. According to the Ministry of Finance, the IMF team began the review Monday and will […]


Related Posts antigua barbuda

Why Antigua and Barbuda Is the Caribbean’s Honeymoon Capital

There’s nothing like a Caribbean honeymoon: stunning beaches, days filled with a mix of relaxation and adventure, limitless natural beauty.  But when it comes to choosing the right destination, the decision can often come down to the right hotel — usually […]


This Turks and Caicos Hotel Is Getting an Upgrade 

somerset hotel

One of the top resorts on Turks and Caicos’ Grace Bay is getting an upgrade in time for the high season.  The Somerset on Grace Bay is unveiling a refresh in time for the peak winter season.  The changes include […]


Jamaica’s Legendary Geejam Studios Is Open Again 

geejam

It’s hosted everyone from Amy Winehouse to Grace Jones to Drake, and now Jamaica’s legendary Geejam Studios is open again.  The studio, set at the popular Geejam Hotel, has completed a major renovation to mark 25 years as a top […]


SUBSCRIBE!

Sign up for Caribbean Journal's free newsletter for a daily dose of beaches, hotels, rum and the best Caribbean travel information on the net.


No. Thank You