Reserva Exclusiva (700 ml)

Diplomático was founded in 1959 at Hacienda Botucal, nestled in the Andes foothills near Caracas, where Venezuela's sugar-cane belt meets a cooler highland microclimate that slows tropical aging and concentrates flavour development. The distillery sits at an elevation that moderates the Caribbean heat, extending the interaction between spirit and wood beyond what a coastal warehouse would permit.

Reserva Exclusiva is built from pot-still rum — a deliberate choice that preserves heavier congeners and richer mouthfeel — blended with column-still distillate for structural lift. The blend is aged up to 12 years in a combination of ex-bourbon American oak barrels and ex-sherry casks, layering dried fruit and vanilla against the pot-still's natural weight. The rum is bottled at 40% ABV.

What separates this expression from regional peers is its unusually high residual sugar level — declared at approximately 40 g/L — making it one of the sweetest premium aged rums in the Venezuelan style, a profile achieved through post-aging dosage rather than cask selection alone.

Drink now through the next decade; the sherry-cask influence will continue to integrate in bottle.