Botucal

The Botucal (or alternatively Diplomatico) distillery was established in the year 1959 in La Miel, Venezuela. Its owner was LUSA (Licorerias Unidas SA), and the main shareholder - Canadian Seagram's International, one of the largest concerns producing alcohol in the world.

Initially, Botucal rum was mainly sold locally. Everything changed in the year 2002 when LUSA decided to sell its assets, including the distillery and the rights to use the brand. In the same year, local entrepreneurs transformed LUSA into DUSA (Destilerias Unidas SA), which is located in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, close to the main sugar processing plants and the Terapaima National Park, providing crystal clear water for the production of premium rum.

The inspiration for the creation of Botucal rum was the extraordinary figure of Don Juancho Nieto Melendez, the legendary Venezuelan "Mantuano" (local nobleman). In the 19th century, he lived in the vicinity of the area where the DUSA (Dolina Planas) production plant currently stands. He was passionate about alcohols, especially rum. Over the decades he has completed an impressive collection of these - so great that it has come to be commonly referred to as the "Ambassador Reserve" (in honor of its owner, of course). All this meant that it is the portrait of Don Juanch that appears on every label of products under the aegis of DUSA.