— PANAMA —
 

In search of gold, Columbus quickly returns to the coast of Veraguas, arriving 6 January, 1503 by a river that the natives call "Quiebra" (currently Belén). On 24 February, 1503, Columbus lays root to what becomes the first Spanish settlement, on the continent Santa Maria de Belen, putting his brother Bartolomé in charge.

The story of rum blossoms late in Panama. A Spanish immigrant, Don José Varela Blanco builds the first mill used for crushing sugar cane in 1908 in the city of Tekel, located in the country's heartland. Here too rum producers benefit from the country's native sugar cane. Rum production is shared among different distilleries, each contributing small details, but unified by a generally light approach.