Don Juan Meléndez (“Don Juancho”) is the figure who inspired the creation of Diplomático. Today, Diplomático rums carry Don Juancho’s portrait, and the brand is driven by the passion and values that were his hallmark.
Diplomático’s distillery lies at the foot of the Andes Mountains in Venezuela, where the pure waters are used to make their rum. Its location was also carefully selected due to its close proximity to the main sugar processing plants in the area.
Established in 1959, Licorerías Unidas S.A (LUSA) owned the distillery through its main shareholder, Seagram’s International, one of the largest wines and spirits companies in the world.
In 2002, LUSA was sold to a group of Venezuelan entrepreneurs and became a 100% privately owned Venezuelan company taking its current name: Destilerías Unidas S. A. (DUSA).
The distillery is unique as it houses 3 different distillation processes which, when combined in blending delivers unique rums such as Diplomatico’s Reserva Exclusiva, an acclaimed rum worldwide.