Varela Hermanos has just introduced Ron Abuelo XII Años Two Oaks, Selección Especial (SRP, $59.99), their newest aged rum from Panama, now available in the U.S. market.

This unique selection is crafted from an exquisite blend of aged (between 8  and 40+ years old) rums averaging just over 11-years old. The benchmark rum was first matured in white oak bourbon barrels before being finished for an additional nine months in first fill extra-charred American oak barrels for exceptional smoothness, depth and nuance.

The idea for Ron Abuelo Two Oaks arose when Luis J. Varela, Jr., third generation of the Varela family and current head of the company, endeavored to produce a rounder, silkier version of what currently exists in the Abuelo portfolio—something so smooth and exceptional that new techniques needed to be created in order to produce the desired result.

Varela and his skilled team at Ron Abuelo worked with an acclaimed cooperage house in Napa Valley, where they devised a series of innovative barrel treatments and techniques for Abuelo’s newest rum adventure: Two Oaks.

To produce this new rum, Two Oaks spends its last nine months before bottling in virgin American oak 200-liter barrels that have been strategically cut on the inside to ensure maximum surface extraction. Once cut, the interior of the barrel experiences a slow and low (180°C / 356°F) char for 60-minutes using a natural wood fire. Once this portion is completed, the barrel receives a final char at a much higher temperature (225°C / 437°F) for 20-25 seconds to finish the treatment. The result is a barrel specific to the creation of Two Oaks that features 8 millimeters of interior black char. The barrel is then filled with the just over 11-year-old rum for its final nine-month ageing and finishing phase.

The barrel treatment and techniques amplify the lignin (the source of vanillin) naturally producing notes of vanilla and spice. The intense heat, or charring, also breaks down the carbohydrates into simple wood sugars turning them into luscious notes caramel, toffee and butterscotch in this final phase. Further, the 8 millimeters of char lessens the liquid’s contact with the wood’s tannins, ultimately producing a rum with an intensely silky and round character.

The resulting rum is dark mahogany with a bouquet of light smoke and toasted oak supported by vanilla and nuts. Lightly smoky and velvety in the mouth, Two Oaks has an intense taste of spice, caramel and roasted coffee beans with hints of coconut that lead to a long and lingering finish.

Ron Abuelo is exclusively imported into the U.S. by Total Beverage Solution, SC.