Distillation

How is rum distilled? In Pesé, mainly in columns. A column still consists of tall towers with plates, through which steam rises from below while the wash trickles down from above. At each plate the alcohol concentrates further, and the distillate becomes purer with every stage. The process runs continuously, unlike a pot still, which works batch by batch.

According to Difford's Guide, the modern Varela Hermanos facility operates a four-column still, from which Seco, Abuelo, and other house brands all originate. The distillate leaves the column very strong and low in congeners. EU regulation only requires that rum stay below 96% ABV and still smell of rum.

In Jamaica, the pot still yields a distillate full of esters that still tastes bold even after years in the barrel. The column distillate in Panama aims for the opposite: a light, refined spirit that can be shaped by the barrel without fighting it. This is where the name ron ligero, light rum, comes from.

According to the house, Seco Herrerano is triple-distilled and set to 35% ABV. With each pass, the distillery separates out congeners, and the result tastes clearer and more neutral. At 35% ABV, it falls below the EU's minimum strength of 37.5% ABV for rum.

This way, the house's brands cover two profiles. Ron Abuelo ages in the barrel and becomes round, with vanilla and wood. The Seco stays unaged, clear and lean, a spirit distilled from sugarcane, but not a rum. What they share is the column as their tool.