The Diplomatico rum range is produced in Venezuela by the talented Destilerias Unidas S.A. (DUSA), which lies at the foot of the Andes Mountains. The distillery was previously owned by Licorerias Unidas S.A. (LUSA), with Seagrams being the biggest shareholder in the early days. In 2002, LUSA went up for sale and was bought by a group of Venezuelan entrepreneurs and soon became 100% Venezuelan and privately owned.
The inspiration for the Diplomatico name comes from Don Juancho Nieto Melendez, whose portrait adorns their labels. He was rather fond of rum and interesting in its production process, including such intricate little details like how environmental-factors affect the flavour profile. He also had a rather handsome collection of rums from his travels to the Caribbean, which his friends called ‘The Ambassador’s Reserves’ - he certainly sounds like the chap you’d want to name a rum brand after!