From Colombia with Love In 1751, a young Severo Arango y Ferro was dispatched to Cartagena de Indias, a major city in Nueva Granada.^1^2 His assignment: improve trade and collect taxes for the Spanish crown in a territory plagued by indigenous rebellions and rampant smuggling.^2 He executed this mandate with such ruthless brutality that he earned the nickname El Dictador (The Dictator).^1^2 Naturally, the man had his vices. Upon arriving in the New World, he fell in love with a sweet tropical elixir the locals called ron.^1 From that moment, his career pivoted from brutal tax collection to producing and trading elegant, high-quality rums under his namesake brand: Dictador.^1 This kind of origin story is not unheard of in the rum world. Historic traders like Martin Doorly and William McCoy were indeed immortalized as brands still sitting on shelves today (Doorly's and The Real McCoy, respectively). According to the brand, the descendants of Arango y Ferro continued his legacy. Don Julio Arango y Parra, a descendant of El Dictador, inherited the company and built a distillery in Cartagena in 1913.^3 This proudly Colombian distillery remains in operation today under Hernán Darío Parra Arango, boasting some of the world's largest reserves of aged rum.^4 The spirit is aged for decades using the solera method, and is even aged on ships, where the rocking motion of the waves supposedly matures it just as it did in seafaring days.^5 This absolute nectar of the gods is then bottled in stunning vessels worthy of its majesty, such as a solid gold bottle worth $1.5 million,^6 or a lumpy monkey.^7 To top it off, they hired Will Smith as global artistic director,^8 appointed an AI named Mika as CEO,^9 and, to protect their treasure, developed the world's most advanced anti-counterfeiting system built directly into their bottles.^10 --- The Ghost of Cartagena For context, in Colombia, it is very common to have two surnames: the father's surname followed by the mother's (which is often dropped in casual use, like the middle name). Hence, Hernán Darío Parra Arango is called Hernán Parra in all but the most formal legal contexts. Ángel Núñez Martínez, likewise, is almost always shortened to Ángel Núñez. This is where most promotional brand profiles end. But if we rewind and subject the story to even a modicum of historical scrutiny, the myth quickly unravels. Dictador presents itself as a century-old Colombian rum distillery sitting on a massive stock of exceptionally old spirit. However, when you separate the brand's claims from independently documented corporate, production, and trade records, surprisingly little survives intact. Who was El Dictador, really? Searching for Severo Arango y Ferro yields nothing but puff pieces and paid brand promotions. In fact, I could find no digitized record of this name prior to 2010. For a senior Crown official charged with overseeing trade between a Spanish colony and the motherland, you would expect at least a trace in the historical record. But even if he existed, it is highly unlikely that he would have openly declared his love for rum or engaged in its trade. Spain strictly regulated spirit production in its colonies as a protectionist measure for its domestic wine and brandy industries.^11 By 1736, fifteen years before his arrival, Spain had forced a monopoly on cane spirit distillation throughout New Granada, granting it to a single individual per region. By 1776, fifteen years after his arrival, private production was banned outright.^49 Producing and trading spirits would have been the exact crime he was sent to stomp out, and openly declaring a love for contraband would have been unthinkable.^11 Subjects of the Spanish Empire went to war and shed blood repeatedly throughout the empire's history just to secure the right to distill spirits.^11 Furthermore, historical records show Cartagena was a hub for French smugglers illegally importing rum, not a source of it.^11 Also, as I noted in , rum of this era was far from the "sweet tropical elixir" advertised today. It was harsh, barely drinkable, almost never aged, and frequently masked with strong herbs and spices just to make the intoxicant palatable. No one was drinking it for the flavor. --- A Borrowed History Founding Destilería Colombiana Though the original founder of the Dictador brand appears to be a marketing invention, the company claims that Hernán Parra's grandfather, Don Julio Arango y Parra, created the distillery in 1913, and that the family has been distilling ever since.^3^12 In an interview with the Consul Honorario Stuttgart, Hernán Parra states that his family has long been involved in the wine and spirits business, including work at Aguardiente Antioqueño.^12 Due to strict government monopolies, his family was barred from distilling liquor for the market, so they imported wine and spirits and produced Cinzano.^12 However, following the 1985 Armero volcanic eruption, the government deregulated the industry to loosen the monopoly and encourage investment, prompting his family to build a distillery in the Tolima department.^12 According to Parra, the family sold this company to the wine and spirits importer IDV (later bought by Diageo) in 1993. As part of the sale, they agreed to a 10-year non-compete clause in the liquor industry.^13 It wasn't until 2006 that he decided to launch his own brand.^12 The Family Business That Is Not Old There is indeed a record of a family business Parra was involved in. The earliest I can find is Premiun Brands Ltda. (sic), an agriculture and livestock trading company established in 1991 in Bogotá.^66 Records identify Darío Parra Colorado and Nohemy (also spelled Noemí) Arango de Parra as the founders. Given Colombian naming conventions, it is highly likely we have found the parents of Hernán Darío Parra Arango. Hernán was likely roped into the business early, as a 2001 lawsuit by Banco del Estado names both Darío Parra Colorado and Hernán Darío Parra Arango as defendants.^67 The family did indeed enter the liquor business around the turn of the millennium, as Darío Parra Colorado was listed as a shareholder in La Cava del Parque Wine & Spirits Ltda. in May 2002.^69 Around 2006, Hernán Parra represented the liquor company Grandes Marcas Ltda.^44 I could find no evidence corroborating Parra's account of the family's alleged sale to IDV. However, if they became involved in La Cava del Parque in 2002, that would overlap with the 10-year non-compete clause stemming from a hypothetical 1993 sale. Parra making claims that I cannot verify, coupled with a lack of even internal consistency, is going to be a recurring pattern. But wait, who was Don Julio Arango y Parra, and what business was actually founded in 1913? The Old Business That Is Not Family Across Dictador's promotional materials today, you will see the claim that Don Julio Arango y Parra founded the distillery in 1913. However, this narrative only emerged later on. In earlier marketing materials, the brand claimed the distillery was founded by a Don Ángel Núñez.^42^43 They cannot both be true, so who is this Don Ángel Núñez? For a while, I assumed he was just another made-up name, though that didn't make much sense, as his name bears no resemblance to the current master blender's. That changed when I petitioned the SIC (Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio) for any information on file regarding Destilería Colombiana Established in 1913 Ltda., Dictador Colombia SAS, Ron Baluarte, or related entities. That is when I struck gold: a documented history showing that the Ron Baluarte brand was sold by Licorera Colombiana Ltda. to Destilería Colombiana in October 2008.^61 Most interestingly, Licorera Colombiana Ltda. had trademark requests for the labels that they used, and there it is, right on the labels: Angel Nuñez and Desde 1913 (Since 1913).^62 On the last page of that document, it references the succession proceedings of the late Ángel Núñez Martínez. With that name, I was finally able to pin down the history. The company, La Licorería (now spelled Licorera) Colombiana, was founded by Magín (also spelled Majin) Just Miret and Ángel Núñez Martínez in 1915.^63 They reference 1913 on their labels, so it is plausible that they officially registered the business two years into their careers, or perhaps it was because the Cartagena Chamber of Commerce itself was created in 1915, making that the earliest any business could have been recorded. There's no evidence that they operated a rum distillery. The records instead document a wine and liquor business importing European products and producing or blending wine and other alcoholic beverages.^63 Shortly thereafter, in 1923, Magín Just passed away.^70 Following a rocky liquidation that reached Colombia's Supreme Court, Núñez took over the company's assets and liabilities.^64 By 1933, the business was listed in the Álbum de Cartagena de Indias. A 1952 advertisement names Angel Nuñez Martinez and claims 1913 as the founding year.^64 Documents show that the commercial entity was canceled in 2008.^66 It is hard to say exactly what caused its closure, but its final years were marked by numerous lawsuits. They were sued by Banco de Occidente, Empaques Industriales Colombianos, and Bancolombia (twice), among others, while Licorera Colombiana also countersued Banco de Colombia.^67 So, we know that there was a wine and liquor company in Cartagena that folded around 2008. But from what I can gather, they did not have a distilling operation. Their records only show the importing of wine and spirits, and occasionally blending them. So what, exactly, can Parra rightfully claim? We know that in 2008, Parra was the legal representative for the company. However, in 2003, it was owned by the Castillo/Gaviria/PROA group and represented by Germán Lemaitre Noero.^68 Parra did not come into ownership of the company until sometime in its final years. We also know that the trademark for Ron Baluarte was transferred to the newly minted Destilería Colombiana in 2008.^61 In the same transaction, they acquired the trademarks for the liqueur Cupido and the blended whiskey White Sand, both of which Destilería Colombiana allowed to lapse, never renewing them. Of everything that constituted Licorera Colombiana, the only thing I can find that passed to Destilería Colombiana was three trademarks, and Parra threw away two of them, with only Ron Baluarte eventually morphing into Dictador.^65 There does not appear to be a blood connection, as not only are the surnames completely different, but also under Brandy Federico II, the description reads "Uno de los legados de la familia Núñez" (One of the legacies of the Núñez family), which would be a strange way to phrase it if it were your own family.^72 Besides those, the product list also includes vodka, gin, aguardiente, and aperitifs. That reads like a regional blender and bottler, and among the portfolio are Ron Viejo Colombia and Aguardiente Amazonas,^72 which were products originally registed to Grandes Marcas.^73 So I don't see how Destilería Colombiana can claim any greater connection to Licorera Colombiana than to Parra's Grandes Marcas company, which has a founding date in this millennium. As a spot-check, I searched LinkedIn, and of all the employees I could find who listed Licorera Colombiana, none went on to work for Destilería Colombiana. I have found no records of anyone, Destilería Colombiana or otherwise, acquiring any liquidated equipment or inventory from Licorera Colombiana. This further proves the point that Destilería Colombiana is not, in any sense, a continuation of that business. In every interview I reviewed, Hernán Parra has never once named the actual company whose history he claims: Licorera Colombiana Ltda. However, it actually is mentioned on the Ron Baluarte website.^71 According to the ronbaluarte.com, which was archived in 2009-2010 and went offline by 2011, they confirm the Ángel Núñez and Licorera Colombiana story, and admit that Parra only took over the company 5 years ago (from the time of writing).^71 Nowhere does it mention Don Julio Arango y Parra or a distillery of any sort. The true story was the one they originally posted, then slowly they erased the truth and replaced it with their preferred marketing. > "estamos haciendo una nueva historia"("We are making a new history")- ronbaluarte.com/historia Speaking of which, Ron Baluarte was made from imported, blended rum under Licorera Colombiana. So where is Destilería Colombiana's, well, distillery? --- Where Is The Distillery? For a brand that heavily advertises its Cartagena roots, you might expect its Cartagena address to be a distillery. Instead, the registered business address (and the one listed on import records) is just a generic office building. Tolima Department Where is the distillery that Parra claims his family built in the Tolima department following the 1985 Armero volcanic eruption?^12 Parra states this facility is located in Ibagué. As it turns out, a distillery did indeed open in Ibagué in 1985. However, there are two glaring problems with this narrative. First, the Fábrica de Licores del Tolima opened its new facility in March 1985, eight months before the Armero eruption occurred in November.^53 Second, this is a state-owned distillery, not a private one. Could a private distillery have been built under a post-disaster deregulation effort? Unlikely. A few months after the eruption, the Colombian government passed Decreto 1222 de 1986.^54 Rather than loosening restrictions to encourage private investment, this decree explicitly reinforced departmental monopolies over liquor production, which remained firmly in place until 2016. A private distillery, De Sargo S.A., did indeed open in 1979, but it was noted as an exception and was the only private company allowed to produce potable alcohol in Colombia at the time.^57 Furthermore, it was built in the Cesar department, not Tolima. Is it possible that Dictador is commissioning rum from Fábrica de Licores del Tolima? I checked their website, including their page of "allied companies", and Dictador is not listed anywhere.^21 I can find zero evidence of Dictador's connection to the official state-owned distillery in Tolima, and ample evidence that they could not have owned a separate private one. Cesar Department According to Diego Quintero Jaramillo, Dictador's sales director, the original Cartagena distillery was abandoned at some point, vaguely blaming Colombian laws.^19 A new facility was supposedly opened in 1951 in the Cesar department.^19 It primarily produced fuel alcohol, and when demand fell, the vast majority of the facility was abandoned, only operating at 20% capacity to produce the lighter, 96% ABV neutral spirit that forms the base of their blends.^19^12 Today, this distillery sits adjacent to an airstrip and serves as the location for Dictador's "Art Masters" videos, where influencer artists are flown in to decorate it with graffiti.^20 However, visual evidence undermines the brand's claims. As Cyril of DuRhum first pointed out, the facility photos provided by Parra do not align with the described production: the site appears old, small, and conspicuously lacks pot stills.^22 Parra's description of fermenting sugarcane to 14% ABV and then distilling it four times in pot stills struck both Cyril and independent distillers as highly irregular, if not outright fabricated.^22 This is the Cesar distillery: the very same facility used for art promo videos, which allegedly still houses an active column producing 96% ABV light rum. Below are the photos Parra sent, alongside corresponding locations pulled from their promotional videos: Distillery image from DuRhum. Still from Dictador Art Masters. Distillery image from DuRhum. Still from Dictador Art Masters. Instead of any permanent presence, Dictador just hangs a banner up with their logo during filming. Using the Art Masters videos and the general location, I was able to pinpoint the exact location of this distillery. It is in Pororo, Agustín Codazzi, and it has an interesting history. Ingenio Meléndez S.A. was a sugarcane plantation and distillery that operated from the 1940s until 1976.^55 Meanwhile, in 1955, Arturo Sarmiento established an agricultural operation in Pororo that was later incorporated as Central Sicarare S.A.^56 It began producing sugar in 1963, and in 1976, the Sarmiento family built a distillery under the company De Sargo S.A., using second-hand equipment from the shuttered Ingenio Meléndez to produce 96% alcohol starting in 1979.^56^57 In 2007, the company decided to cease sugarcane operations and switch to palm oil, forming Extractora Sicarare S.A. and Palma Sicarare S.A., while Central Sicarare ended operations in 2008.^56 A new production facility was built adjacent to the old sugar facility, while the old industrial operation was subsequently liquidated.^57 The equipment at Central Sicarare was sold,^59 but while De Sargo also went up for liquidation, it remained in limbo for years.^60 Judging by the Art Masters videos, my guess is that the equipment never found a buyer. The images show a completely abandoned and dilapidated distillery, with aging equipment left rusted and unmaintained. I cannot imagine that it is producing alcohol in any capacity at this point, let alone the 20% that Dictador claims. I do not even know if Dictador currently owns it. I could find records of a sale for the liquidated sugar refining equipment, but not for the distillery's facilities or equipment, which now appear to lie in ruins. Critically, it certainly wasn't owned by them in 2015, when Parra showed pictures of it to Cyril claiming it was their distillery, as we know it was still being liquidated at the end of 2017. --- The Panama Papers But even if we grant them the abandoned Cesar distillery, we still lack evidence of active rum production there, let alone a second distillery with the pot stills Parra claims to use. What we do have confirmation of is Cyril's previous finding that Destilería Colombiana purchased bulk alcohol from Panama into 2014 and 2015.^22 Image from DuRhum. I did my own digging and found further records of them buying 65% ABV alcohol stretching into 2018, from the same supplier as in Cyril's reporting: Consorcio Licorero Nacional S.A. (CLNSA, aka Las Cabras distillery) in Panama.^35 Ron Baluarte's website also says that the rum is continuous-distilled to an ABV of 65%,^74 which doesn't make much sense, as multi-column stills used in light Spanish-style rum production typically output new-make spirit from the high 80s up to 96% ABV, but it makes perfect sense if they're just buying bulk alcohol watered down to 65%. Ironically, Dictador's website states that "the production process is entirely based in Cartagena", which raises an obvious question about how this squares with the company's description of its Tolima and Cesar facilities as operating distilleries.^38 Given these discrepancies, some rum experts and enthusiasts classify Dictador not as a distillery, but as a non-distilling producer^23 or a ghost distillery.^22 But these imports become a bit less surprising when you realize that they also sell cigars and coffee.^37 Their cigars come from the Dominican Republic, and I don't suppose they grow their own coffee, either. --- The Man Behind the Curtain Parra has spoken about "kissing many frogs" before finally finding his prince in 2006, in the form of some Polish entrepreneurs.^13 In 2007, Parra registered a company called Destilería Colombiana Established in 1913 Ltda.,^16 literally putting "Established in 1913" in its legal name. The address this company is registered to is a generic industrial park in Mamonal, Cartagena. In 2009, Dictador Europe Sp. z o.o. was registered in Katowice, Poland, with Tomasz Jerzy Bogdański as director, Marek Szołdrowski as president, and Gordena Investments Ltd. owning 98% of the shares.^17^46 Gordena itself is an offshore company registered in Cyprus in 2007, also directed by Bogdański, with its shares split 50/50 between Sky Development and Warmenbad Investments, both of which also list Bogdański as director.^18 In 2010, Warmenbad took over all of Gordena's shares.^18 Later, the shares shifted to Tranomtana Limited (which is just Warmenbad renamed), before finally landing in the hands of Dictador Holding Limited OÜ, whose direct owners are Marek Szołdrowski (president of Dictador Europe since 2009) and Hernán Parra.^46^47 The TL;DR is that Dictador's ownership is a matryoshka doll of holding companies, with the same few names constantly reappearing. It looks less like a family business and more like a corporate escape room. How it feels trying to piece together the org chart of Dictador. Enter Mariusz Jawoszek, a Polish entrepreneur and CEO of lingerie company Esotiq & Henderson, among other ventures.^14 Some sources state that Jawoszek purchased Destilería Colombiana Established in 1913 Ltda. and the "Dictador" brand.^9 While details on him are scarce, a 2023 interview with Puls Biznesu featured Szołdrowski stating that Jawoszek holds a controlling stake in Dictador, with Parra retaining a significant stake.^50 The entire ownership model operates as a corporate shell game. Records show that Dictador Europe sells glass bottles to Destilería Colombiana^39 (despite their website claiming that they are Japanese)^75 and pays them in advance for exports.^41 Then there is Dictador Colombia SAS, another entity whose supplier is Dictador Europe, and whose top buyer is Destilería Colombiana.^40 The history is opaque, and the ownership model is a labyrinth. But that still doesn't answer the question that actually matters: what, precisely, is Destilería Colombiana putting in these bottles, and does it match what is printed on the label? . --- Editor's Note This investigation relied on publicly available corporate records, import/export databases, lab analyses, and marketing materials. Dictador did not respond to requests for comment. Production figures and the current operational status of the facilities described by Dictador as its distilleries could not be independently verified. Dictador was contacted in March 2026 with specific questions about their production methods and historical claims. They did not respond. They were contacted again in September 2026 with simply a request to discuss the production methods and historical claims with the proper point of contact, without asking any pointed questions immediately. They still have not responded. --- ^1: Dictador - Ultimate Rum Guide(https://ultimaterumguide.com/dictador/) ^2: Dictador - Fine + Rare(https://www.frw.co.uk/producer/612ec280060000000000215c/dictador) ^3: Así son los rones del Caribe Colombiano - El Heraldo(https://www.elheraldo.co/tendencias/2015/05/11/asi-son-los-rones-del-caribe-colombiano-194817/) ^4: Dictador Brand Presentation Masterclass - Dictador(https://media.dictador.com/download/dictador-brand-presentation-masterclassproductionproducts-pdf/) ^5: How Is Rum Made? - Dictador(https://dictador.com/how-is-rum-made/) ^6: Dictador Unveils $1 Billion Rum Collection With Each Bottle Made of 24 Karat Gold and Starting at $1.5 Million - The Daily Pour(https://thedailypour.com/article/dictador-most-expensive-rum-billion-24-karat-gold/) ^7: Lilac Dictador Game Changer(https://dictador.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/lilac-dictador-game-changer.webp) ^8: Dictador, lujoso ron cartagenero vendido en 80 países, contrató a Will Smith como director artístico(https://www.valoraanalitik.com/dictador-lujoso-ron-cartagenero-will-smith/) ^9: Dictador Europe - Rum Auctioneer(https://rumauctioneer.com/learn/explore-rum/companies/dictador-europe) ^10: How the industry is tackling fake alcohol - The Spirits Business(https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2023/04/how-the-industry-is-tackling-fake-alcohol/) ^11: History of Cuban Rum 1. Forbidden Beverages - Got Rum?(https://www.gotrum.com/the-rum-university/rum-in-history/history-of-cuban-rum-1-forbidden-beverages/) ^12: Destilería Colombiana(https://consulhonorariostuttgart.de/sites/default/files/produkte/rumdestilleriedestileriacolombiana/DestileriaColombianaInterview.pdf) ^13: Unser Ururur-Grossvater, der Diktator - Manuels(https://manuels.ch/explorer/impressionen/unser-ururur-grossvater-der-diktator) ^14: Mariusz Jawoszek(https://www.marketscreener.com/insider/MARIUSZ-JAWOSZEK-A0JKWO/) ^15: SUPERINTENDENCIA DE INDUSTRIA Y COMERCIO LISTADO INFORMATIVO(https://serviciosweb.sic.gov.co/Soluciones/Sic/listadoPI/pdf/ListadoSignos2015-09-22.pdf) ^16: DESTILERIA COLOMBIANA ESTABLISHED IN 1913 LTDA(https://www.lasempresas.com.co/cartagena/destileria-colombiana-established-in-1913-ltda/) ^17: DICTADOR EUROPE(https://rejestr.io/krs/330671/dictador-europe) ^18: GORDENA INVESTMENTS LIMITED(https://cyprusregistry.com/companies/HE/201469) ^19: Dictador Rum Virtual Tasting(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcEcymNeJbM) ^20: Colombian Rum: Diego Quintero Jaramillo of Dictador Rum - Food for Thought(https://foodforthought.com.my/colombian-rum-diego-quintero-jaramillo-of-dictador-rum/) ^21: Fabrica De Licores Del Tolima - Clientes Aliados(https://www.fabricadelicoresdeltolima.com/inicio/clientes-aliados/) ^22: Rhum Dictateur - DuRhum(https://durhum.com/rhum-dictateur/) ^23: Rum Brand Reference - Who Makes and Owns the Brands - Rum Wonk(https://www.rumwonk.com/p/rum-brand-reference-who-makes-and?open=false%C2%A7dictador-non-distilling-producer-colombia-poland) ^24: NTC 278: Requisitos para el Ron Colombiano(https://www.scribd.com/document/367472596/NTC-278-Ron-pdf) ^25: Dictador 20-Year-Old Rum(https://www.masterofmalt.com/rum/dictador/dictador-20-year-old-rum/) ^26: Dictador 20 Year Old Rum 700mL(https://caskcartel.com/products/dictador-20-year-old-rum-700ml) ^27: Dictador - Miva(https://www.miva.com.hr/producers/producer-2431) ^28: Dictador - Manuels(https://www.manuels.ch/rum/rum/kolumbien/dictador/dictador-20-jahre) ^29: Dictador Best Of Sherry Cask Finish 1976 Vintage Rum(https://sipwhiskey.com/products/dictador-best-of-1976-vintage-rum?pos=4&sid=376ffc889&ss=r&fid=17487bfd9) ^30: Are Rare Rums The Newest Alternative Asset Class For Investors? - Forbes(https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemicallef/2021/09/18/are-rare-rums-the-newest-alternative-asset-class-for-investors/) ^31: Welcome to ArtHouse Spirits DAO - Medium(https://arthousespiritsdao.medium.com/welcome-to-arthouse-spirits-dao-11cdea937a3c) ^32: ArtHouse Spirits - OpenSea(https://opensea.io/collection/arthouse-spirits/activity) ^33: Etherscan(https://etherscan.io/address/0xb59ED065A4FA3C9e1bD18c6366181379Fb449883readContract) ^34: Dictador ArtHouse Spirits DAO(https://comcreo.com/case-study/dictador-arthouse-spirits-dao/) ^35: Seair Exim Solutions(https://www.seair.co.in/destileria-colombiana-established-in-1913-ltda-importers-in-colombia) ^36: Dictador Partners with World-Class Wine and Spirits Masters to Create Unique Colombian Rums(https://www.financecolombia.com/dictador-2-masters-partnership-wine-liquor-masters-finish-unique-colombian-rum/) ^37: IPCPR 2015: Dictador Cigars(https://halfwheel.com/ipcpr-2015-dictador-cigars/92814/) ^38: The Ultimate Guide to Dictador Rum(https://dictador.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-dictador-rum/) ^39: Destilería Colombiana Established in 1913 Ltda.(https://es.panjiva.com/Destileria-Colombiana-Established-I/24372004) ^40: Dictador Colombia Sas, Poland - Company Profile(https://www.volza.com/company-profile/dictador-colombia-sas-25531918/) ^41: Juzgado Octavo Administrativo del Circuito de Cartagena - Sentencia No. 0101 - Radicado 13-001-33-33-008-2019-00068-00 ^42: Daily Dram Guide 2010(https://www.thenectar.be/wp-content/uploads/daily-dram-guide-2010.pdf) ^43: Liste des produits de la marque Dictador(https://lamaisondurhum-paris.com/brand/8-dictador) ^44: Grandes Marcas Ltda. Cervezas Vinos Y Licores(https://www.infopiniones.com/colombia/actividad-economica-diferente/grandes-marcas-ltda-cervezas-vinos-y-licores) ^45: CONCEPTO TRIBUTARIO 87499 DE 2005(https://normograma.dian.gov.co/dian/compilacion/docs/conceptotributariodian00874992005.htm) ^46: DICTADOR EUROPE SPÓŁKA Z OGRANICZONĄ ODPOWIEDZIALNOŚCIĄ(https://www.bizraport.pl/krs/0000330671/dictador-europe-spolka-z-ograniczona-odpowiedzialnoscia) ^47: Dictador Holding Limited OÜ (16785569) (https://ariregister.rik.ee/eng/company/16785569/akipersoninvalidatejson) ^48: Dictador 1976 Lalique decanter sells for £30,000(https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2021/03/dictador-1967-lalique-decanter-sells-for-30000/) ^49: Indian Rebellion and Bourbon Reform in New Granada: Riots in Pasto, 1780–1800(https://read.dukeupress.edu/hahr/article/73/1/99/146169/Indian-Rebellion-and-Bourbon-Reform-in-New-Granada) ^50: Rumowe tokeny mają procentować na GPW(https://www.pb.pl/rumowe-tokeny-maja-procentowac-na-gpw-1198270) ^51: DECRETO 1686 DE 2012(https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/col115864.pdf) ^52: Colombian Rum Guide: Which Brands Are Truly Made in Cartagena? (2026 Update)(https://rumchocolatecartagena.com/colombian-rum-guide-cartagena-brands/) ^53: HISTORIA FÁBRICA DE LICORES DEL TOLIMA(https://www.fabricadelicoresdeltolima.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?juwpfisadmin=false&action=wpfd&task=file.download&wpfdcategoryid=101&wpfdfileid=4242&token=&preview=1) ^54: Decreto Ley 1222 de 1986(https://www.funcionpublica.gov.co/eva/gestornormativo/norma.php?i=6100) ^55: FORMULACIÓN DEL PLAN ESTRATÉGICO PARA LA ESTRUCTURACIÓN DEL BANCO DE TIERRAS(https://bibliotecadigital.univalle.edu.co/server/api/core/bitstreams/2f0bb1d3-34ed-4754-a8b1-5055dc4afda7/content) ^56: Nuestra Historia(https://extractorasicarare.com/nosotros/) ^57: IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE UN SISTEMA DE GESTIÓN DE MANTENIMIENTO EN LA EMPRESA EXTRACTORA SICARARE S.A.S, CODAZZI CESAR(https://repositorioinstitucional.ufpso.edu.co/bitstream/handle/20.500.14167/1010/Cuerpo%20del%20trabajo%20IMPLEMENTACI%C3%93N%20DE%20UN%20SISTEMA%20DE%20GESTI%C3%93N%20DE%20MANTENIMIENTO%20EN%20LA%20EMPRESA%20EXTRACTORA%20SICARARE%20S.A.S%2C%20CODAZZI%20CESAR%20INFORME%20FINAL%20VICTOR%20sustentacion%20correcion%20TARDEremoved.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1) ^58: BOLETIN OFICIAL DICIEMBRE 2013 RESOLUCIONES DIRECCION GENERAL(https://www.corpocesar.gov.co/diciembre2013.html) ^59: INFORME DE AUDITORÍA EMITIDO POR AUDITORES INDEPENDIENTES(https://ecuadorpapers.org/ocr/835%20MONTERREY%20AZUCARERA%20LOJANA%20CA%20MALCA/economica/Auditoria%20Externa%20-%20SCV.NIIF.835.2017.1%202017-12-31%20208386.pdf) ^60: BOLETIN 4795 DE REGISTROS(https://bibliotecadigital.ccb.org.co/server/api/core/bitstreams/f0279aff-6f95-4661-bf19-cac3b28c2f5f/content) ^61: National Trademark - Baluarte(https://sipi.sic.gov.co/sipi/Extra/IP/Mutual/Browse.aspx?sid=639257073967031638) ^62: REGISTRODEPOSITOCONCESIONDEPOSITO - SOLICITUD.pdf(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TG3jNBPGqkKSjpB0AhtXDrzCtyUkjqrm/view?usp=drivelink) ^63: LA INDUSTRIA MOLINERA DE TRIGO EN COLOMBIA: EL CASO DEL MOLINO TRES CASTILLOS, 1940-2012(https://biblioteca.utb.edu.co/notas/ECONOMIA%20Y%20REGION/Vol%208%20N%C2%B0%202%20-%202014/La%20industria%20molinera%20de%20trigo%20en%20Colombia%20El%20caso%20del%20Molino%20Tres%20Castillos%2C%201940%20-%202012.pdf) ^64: LICORERA COLOMEBTANA de ANGEL NUÑEZ MARTINEZ(https://www.cyber-corredera.de/Revista/Revista045-1952.pdf) ^65: El ron colombiano que triunfa en el mundo(https://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/cms-12824467) ^66: LICORERA COLOMBIANA LIMITADA. EN LIQUIDACION(https://www.rues.org.co/detalle) ^67: CONSULTA DE PROCESOS NACIONAL UNIFICADA(https://consultaprocesos.ramajudicial.gov.co/Procesos/NombreRazonSocial) ^68: CARACTERIZACION DE EMPRESAS EN LEY 550 DE 1999 EN LA CIUDAD DECARTAGENA.(https://repositorio.utb.edu.co/server/api/core/bitstreams/3ab7d2aa-fcc2-4732-96fb-23f2a568d533/content) ^69: Boletín de Registros Públicos No.2671 19 al 25 de Junio 2004(https://bibliotecadigital.ccb.org.co/server/api/core/bitstreams/83c4a7e3-3262-4e22-b583-ab3132f7c7e2/content) ^70: GACETA JUDICIAL - Bogotá, marzo 26 de 1934(https://cortesuprema.gov.co/corte/wp-content/uploads/subpage/GJ/Gaceta%20Judicial/GJ%20XL%20n.%201886-1891%20%281934-1936%29.pdf) ^71: Historia - Ron Baluarte(https://web.archive.org/web/20091216194235/http://www.ronbaluarte.com/historia.php) ^72: Productos - Ron Baluarte(https://web.archive.org/web/20091216150414/http://www.ronbaluarte.com/productos.php) ^73: USTPO - Viejo Colombia(https://tsdr.uspto.gov/caseNumber=78352827) ^74: Proceso - Ron Baluarte(https://web.archive.org/web/20091218000652/http://www.ronbaluarte.com/proceso.php) ^75: Concept - Dictador(https://web.archive.org/web/20140606224639/http://dictador.com/concept.html)

In , we uncovered that Dictador's century-old family distillery narrative cannot be corroborated, and its corporate structure resembles a shell game more than a small family business. But accounting acrobatics are one thing; what actually ends up in the bottle is another. Let's talk about the liquid. --- What's Actually in the Bottle? Dictador's marketing materials proudly declare that their rum is made exclusively from cane honey: > For Dictador rums, we are among the few producers who exclusively use sugar cane syrup, which results from boiling — or in other words, reducing — the juice.^4 Yet, in an interview, Hernán Parra contradicts this, admitting the light rum forming the majority of their blend is actually made from a blend of molasses and cane syrup, not pure cane syrup.^12 On the Ron Baluarte website, it simply asserts that molasses is another name for cane syrup.^62 In an interview with Cyril from DuRhum, Parra stated that the wort is fermented up to 13-14% ABV, which Cyril says is far above what the wort for rum is typically fermented to.^22 On the Ron Baluarte website, it goes even further and says that it is fermented all the way to 18% ABV.^62 Parra asserts that most Dictador expressions are blends of pot and column still rums (excluding single cask releases and certain other expressions, such as my bottle of Dictador XO Insolent). He specifies that the column still produces light rum at 96% ABV, while the pot still portion, which he refers to as "rhum agricole", is distilled to 60% ABV.^12 For those who might not know, Martinique AOC rhum agricole is a French protected designation of origin for cane juice rums that, ironically, requires column still distillation. Parra claims this pot still portion is so flavorful that it boasts congener concentrations of 3,000–4,000 ppm per liter!^12 Anyone familiar with rum production knows that congeners are measured in g/hLAA (grams per hectoliter of pure alcohol). This makes sense: it is a standard unit of mass per volume. What Parra describes instead is thousands of... parts per million... per liter. Even charitably interpreting "ppm per liter" as simply "ppm", this is not how rum congeners are reported, and it is impossible to know what he actually means. I wouldn't dwell on this, except that congeners are one of the most critical measurements rum enthusiasts look for, and this foreshadows a pattern of confusing figures throughout their production claims. According to Parra, the standard pot/column blend consists of 30% pot still and 70% column still rum, resulting in a new-make spirit at 77% ABV that is immediately barreled.^12 Yet, in a different interview, he claims this same blend comes out to 72.5% ABV.^22 Never mind the fact that a 30/70 blend of 60% ABV and 96% ABV actually yields 85.2% ABV. It wouldn't be an issue if he mentioned diluting the blend with water before barreling, but he doesn't. He is simply off by roughly 10 percentage points. An article interviewing staff of Dictador notes that "Dictador" it is the new name for "Ron Baluarte".^60 However, the Ron Baluarte website also says that it is a continuous-distilled product, with no mention of a pot still portion.^61 So is the pot still portion real or fictional? Listening to Parra (the master blender, mind you) describe how Dictador is produced, you would be forgiven for thinking he has never actually set foot in a distillery. That Didn't Age Well A bottle of Dictador 20. If you have a keen eye, you may have noticed something unusual: Dictador rums claim to be aged in a solera system, yet they also feature concrete age statements. Sure, Zacapa slaps a big number on the front and hopes that you incorrectly assume that it represents the age of the liquid, but Dictador does not imply it; they outright state "aged 20 years". What do Colombian regulations actually say about this? Colombian Directive 1686 from 2012 is surprisingly strict on this matter: rum may not contain added flavorings or anything to simulate aging time.^51 Furthermore, when rums of different ages are mixed, the declared age must be that of the youngest portion.^51 This level of regulatory rigor should inspire confidence. So how does Dictador justify a "solera" rum with a 20-year age statement? According to Parra, it is all a simple misunderstanding: > No, it’s not like that. It does involve topping up, but with the same product. We just didn't know what else to call the process so that everyone would understand what we meant. With the word "Solera," however, people understand that the product is being "moved"—that it wasn't produced using a "single cask" process.- Hernán Parra^12 Behold! Three solera rums from Appleton Estate! Sales director Diego Quintero Jaramillo echoed this exact sentiment in a virtual tasting video.^19 The idea that they slap "solera" on the label as a genuine gesture of consumer transparency is hard to swallow. Consolidating rum of the same vintage is standard industry practice. I think that the word "solera" is used because it sounds fancy. But given how diluted the term has become in the rum world, this particular deception is practically par for the course. In the same interview, Jaramillo also noted that Parra prefers mixing his "40-year-old" rums with coke.^19 Take that as you will. The real issue is that their own marketing cannot keep the story straight. A quick search of online retailers reveals yet another contradiction: sites like Cask Cartel and Master of Malt sell Dictador 20 Year Old Rum with the description: Aged in a Solera system for between 14 and 24 years.^25^26 The descriptions of their age statements are not even consistent across their own distribution channels. Even if we generously accept the solera explanation, the inconsistencies pile up when examining evaporation losses. Marketing materials cite anywhere from a 10% annual loss to evaporation,^27 to 4.5%,^28 to 3.5%,^22 or even 2%.^12 This matters immensely when you are selling a rum that literally turned 50 years old this year for less than $200 retail.^29 At a very conservative (and regionally low) 3.5% annual angel's share, 1,000 barrels would yield fewer than 170 barrels after 50 years. That represents an extraordinary amount of evaporation, and an extraordinary amount of money left locked in a barrel for half a century. For comparison, genuine 50-year-old Appleton Estate rum sells for several thousand dollars a bottle. Dictador's 50-year-old releases, meanwhile, can be found for under $200.^29 We are expected to believe that this unknown rum, produced in an opaque and poorly documented supply chain, somehow survives five decades on the equator, only to be sold for the same price as an unspecified rum bottled in a low-poly monkey? The Lab Results Dictador vehemently denies adding any additives, flavorings, or sugar.^4^22 However, it is hard to verify this without a lab test. Thankfully, Cyril from DuRhum sent samples off to an independent lab. His interpretation of the analysis is that the low quantity of fusel alcohols (only 5g/hLAA) and 10g/hLAA aromatic extract corresponds to a very light rum with no pot still portion, which has been doped with flavoring to artificially enhance its character. Furthermore, Cyril interprets a 2.43% alcohol obscuration as corresponding to 10.4g/L of added sugar.^22 The actual congener count of fewer than 90g/hLAA makes the earlier 3,000–4,000 figure even more baffling. A freshly opened bottle of Dictador XO Insolent. Cyril tested a different bottle labeled 44.5% ABV that measured at 38.6% ABV and demonstrated 17g/L of added sugar.^22 I have my own hydrometer and refractometer (as detailed in my articles on hydrometers and refractometers), and I ran my own measurements on a fresh, newly opened bottle of Dictador XO Insolent. My hydrometer indicated a sugar equivalent of around 23g/L, and my refractometer indicated around 22g/L. My mouth isn't exactly a lab, but it tastes quite sweet, on top of tasting distinctly chemical and artificial. Why would they add artificial flavors and aromatics to the rum? Look again at the import records from Part 1. They are importing bulk ethyl alcohol. Do I have definitive, smoking-gun proof that they add flavorings and aromatics to this neutral alcohol? No. But they were once the subject of a debt collection suit by Polaroma Flavors and Fragrances(https://www.polaroma.com/sabores).^56 By this point, I hope you will forgive me for not extending Dictador the benefit of the doubt. Import records discussed in part 1. > I don’t like chemical products in our rum; no additives, no added flavors, and no caramel coloring. I don’t think it’s necessary at all. And when you taste it, you notice it isn’t sweet. Because usually, a very sweet rum has had sugar or sugar alcohols, like glycerin, added to it before bottling. Here in Colombia, it is forbidden to add any sugar. However, there’s no way of knowing or proving exactly which ingredients someone is using. After all, the easiest way to mask a bitter, chemical, or unpleasant taste is with sugar to add. So, you can create a very poor-quality product and make it marketable by sweetening it. That is a very important concept for us, which is why our products contain no added sugar. We don't need it. It would actually harm our products.- Hernán Parra^12 I emailed Dictador using the address listed on their "Contact Us" page with a detailed list of questions and requests for clarification in March, and again shortly before publishing this article.They never replied. --- You're Too Poor For This Rum If you have read this far, you likely realize that this rum is not for you. It never was. Sure, some rums are meant to be consumed, but this rum is first and foremost an investment vehicle. The webpage for "investment-grade rum", by the way. On their website, they feature an entire section (written by AI, no less) on "investment-grade rum"(https://dictador.com/investment-alcohol-a-smart-way-to-diversify-your-portfolio/). Ken Grier, owner of De-Still Creative, currently serves as a spirits investment consultant for the Dictador brand.^30 > Dictador has all the potential to drive this and to keep on building value through category leading innovations; relevant and contemporary arthouse pieces; the carefully curated cache of very old and authentic rums and the focus on scarcity, which appeals to collectors and investors around the world. Dictador truly has all the characteristics to become the investment grade leader in rum.- Ken Grier^30 Their Totem collection sells bottles hand-beaded with the Wixárika people's most sacred plant for around $5,000 each.^52 In 2018, Johnnie Walker commissioned the same bottles from the same company, sold them for a few hundred dollars each, and donated part of the proceeds to the Wixárika people.^53^54 Dictador claims to pay tribute to indigenous cultures, yet has not disclosed any contribution from that massive profit margin to the Wixárika community.^52 Think you've finally cracked the "too poor for this rum" barrier and want in on the investment opportunity? Sorry, it's invite-only.^6 For a starting price of $1.5 million, the M-City golden bottle grants you a literal hunk of 24-karat gold, a ticket to Cartagena, and the privilege of filling it with your choice from 110 private casks. You can even have whatever city you want engraved on the side. Hell, at that price, would they deny you engraving the "S" we all doodled in middle school? The collection caps out once they hit $1 billion in sales.^6 So, no need to rush. Their NFT project might be the clearest proof that they are more concerned with promoting rum as a financial asset than selling actual rum. They created a DAO, planned to mint 20,000 NFTs with an estimated worth of $20 million, and announced that this collection had already achieved a value of $1.5 million!^31 Wow, it already has $1.5 million in cash? No, it is "backed by an asset" worth $1.5 million... hmm, I wonder what that asset might be. Checking the transaction history on OpenSea reveals that in the four years this collection has existed, it achieved a total volume of... two transactions, with a total trading volume of $771.^32 That being said, though they fell well short of their 20,000 NFT, $20,000,000 goal, they did mint 85 NFTs. At a price of 0.51 ETH each,^33 and with ETH prices around $900-$1,600 in 2022, that represents roughly $50,000 in gross proceeds. Not bad for a few JPEGs. This model only works if there is a functioning secondary market. Whiskey has an established market with auction houses and decades of resale data. Despite Dictador's best efforts, their bottles do not. I could not find a single piece of evidence that Dictador's bottles have resold for any large amount of money. The only five-figure sale I could verify was a single charity auction, selling a bottle created specifically for that event.^48 Their data shows a 17-fold increase in value, but they compare genuine benchmarks (Rare Whisky Apex 1000 and Macallan) against a metric that appears to be entirely invented, with no disclosed methodology.^34 And with only $771 in observed secondary trading volume, there is little evidence of a functioning market for the NFTs, either. --- This Rum Is Not For You But in the end, the broader market simply doesn't care. If anything in this article matters to you, this rum was never meant for you. It is for the undiscerning airport traveler looking for a gift with a big number on the front, ideally paired with a matching box of Dictador cigars and a bag of Dictador coffee. It is for the collector who wants a pretty bottle on their shelf. It might even be for my mom, whose bar order is always "whatever looks the prettiest", which she then photographs from every angle and posts to Instagram. Meanwhile, you are the reader who cares about congeners, terroir, and transparency in manufacturing. Their marketing should have given it away: shiny gold bottles worth millions, videos of art influencers spraying graffiti, AI CEOs, NFTs, and commercials featuring good-looking dudes in suits casually lounging at a desk, surrounded by hot women fondling bottles(https://youtu.be/PjEOeJuYEf0). To bolster this facade, Dictador launders its reputation through the "2 Masters" program. They send their rum to actual, well-known producers, such as Barton 1792, Royal Tokaji, Château d'Arche, and Leclerc Briant, to be finished, thereby renting a fraction of their credibility.^36 They even have a "truths and myths about rum"(https://dictador.com/truths-and-myths-about-rum-become-a-rum-expert-with-dictador/) section on their website. Think about the myths that actually bother you. Maybe it is the idea that white rum is unaged, or that the darker a rum is, the more aged and premium it must be. Maybe it is the general categorization of rum by its color. Maybe it is the casual misuse of "rhum agricole" to refer to all cane juice rums. Well, the very first question they answer on that page is: What Was the Most Expensive Rum Bottle Ever Sold? I bet that is exactly what you were wondering. Ultimately, Dictador is not selling rum to people who read articles like this. It is selling vibes to people who don't. --- How Do They Keep Getting Away With This? Independent voices like Rum Shop Boy, Ivar of Rum Revelations, and Cyril of DuRhum have all written excellent, critical pieces on Dictador. But none of them possess anything close to the reach of Forbes, The Spirits Business, or Medium. There is nowhere near enough critical press coverage to outweigh the brand's mountain of marketing. And there is a lot of marketing. Still a more realistic leader of Dictador than Severo Arango y Ferro. Most importantly, the obscurity is working. I do not know who is really behind Dictador. I do not know what distilleries they actually operate. We have ample lab results, and while the Colombian government has no public regulatory findings against Destilería Colombiana Established in 1913 Ltda., the claims I could independently test fare poorly. The age statements are inconsistent, the production story contains unexplained contradictions, the historical narrative is unsupported by the records I found, the supply chain is a complicated web of corporate bureaucracy and foreign imports, and independent testing raises serious questions about the liquid itself. However, no fraud or crimes have been proven in court. Dictador remains a relatively small brand, mostly relegated to Total Wine and airport duty-free shops, so it is entirely conceivable that they have simply flown under the radar. It took Zacapa being acquired by Diageo and achieving global popularity before facing legal challenges.^55 Even then, they only recently decided to remove the prominent "23" from their bottles, and only in certain regions. In the case of Dictador, I don't think we should have to settle. I think that there are enough anomalies to warrant an investigation with actual statutory authorities. Consider the precedent set in India. For years, it was an open secret among rum enthusiasts that Old Monk was largely neutral alcohol with rum flavoring added, and definitely not entirely aged for seven years. . I figured everyone knew, and Indian regulators simply didn't care to pursue the issue as long as the tax revenue rolled in. Then, in August 2026, in a stunning move, India's food safety regulator (FSSAI) banned the sale of Old Monk. They found that its aged component made up less than 5% of the blend, with the rest being neutral spirit and added flavoring sold as a standard, traditionally matured rum.^57 > It cannot be sold as a rum. Neutral spirit added with rum flavours is not a product which can be called as a rum. Terminology used is it mimics as a rum.- Rajshekhar Govilkar, FSSAI^57 McDowell's was not spared either, and was similarly banned for mislabeling and the improper addition of artificial flavors.^58 These are the top two best-selling rum brands in India, and yet regulators did not hesitate to take decisive action.^59 Over the course of researching this piece, I filed formal information requests with INVIMA, the SIC, and the Cámara de Comercio de Cartagena. I did it anonymously, using nothing but a computer and Claude's help to draft the requests in bureaucratic Spanish. You do not need to be an expert, and you do not need a lawyer. If you are American, the TTB takes label complaints. Dictador is sold in the US, meaning its labels are entirely within the TTB's jurisdiction, regardless of the source country's laws. If you are in France, send a complaint to the DGCCRF. You do not even have to be a Colombian citizen to file a complaint with INVIMA through the PQRSD process. We consumers should not have to put up with false advertising, improper labeling, and the sale of adulterated products. The only difference between an open secret and a public scandal is somebody asking a government to look. Sometimes, all it takes to make a difference is to be that squeaky wheel. And when it happens, I look forward to writing a Part 3. --- Editor's Note This investigation relied on publicly available corporate records, import/export databases, lab analyses, and marketing materials. Dictador did not respond to requests for comment. Production figures and the current operational status of the facilities described by Dictador as its distilleries could not be independently verified. Dictador was contacted in March 2026 with specific questions about their production methods and historical claims. They did not respond. They were contacted again in September 2026 with simply a request to discuss the production methods and historical claims with the proper point of contact, without asking any pointed questions immediately. They still have not responded. --- ^1: Dictador - Ultimate Rum Guide(https://ultimaterumguide.com/dictador/) ^2: Dictador - Fine + Rare(https://www.frw.co.uk/producer/612ec280060000000000215c/dictador) ^3: Así son los rones del Caribe Colombiano - El Heraldo(https://www.elheraldo.co/tendencias/2015/05/11/asi-son-los-rones-del-caribe-colombiano-194817/) ^4: Dictador Brand Presentation Masterclass - Dictador(https://media.dictador.com/download/dictador-brand-presentation-masterclassproductionproducts-pdf/) ^5: How Is Rum Made? - Dictador(https://dictador.com/how-is-rum-made/) ^6: Dictador Unveils $1 Billion Rum Collection With Each Bottle Made of 24 Karat Gold and Starting at $1.5 Million - The Daily Pour(https://thedailypour.com/article/dictador-most-expensive-rum-billion-24-karat-gold/) ^7: Lilac Dictador Game Changer(https://dictador.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/lilac-dictador-game-changer.webp) ^8: Dictador, lujoso ron cartagenero vendido en 80 países, contrató a Will Smith como director artístico(https://www.valoraanalitik.com/dictador-lujoso-ron-cartagenero-will-smith/) ^9: Dictador Europe - Rum Auctioneer(https://rumauctioneer.com/learn/explore-rum/companies/dictador-europe) ^10: How the industry is tackling fake alcohol - The Spirits Business(https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2023/04/how-the-industry-is-tackling-fake-alcohol/) ^11: History of Cuban Rum 1. Forbidden Beverages - Got Rum?(https://www.gotrum.com/the-rum-university/rum-in-history/history-of-cuban-rum-1-forbidden-beverages/) ^12: Destilería Colombiana(https://consulhonorariostuttgart.de/sites/default/files/produkte/rumdestilleriedestileriacolombiana/DestileriaColombianaInterview.pdf) ^13: Unser Ururur-Grossvater, der Diktator - Manuels(https://manuels.ch/explorer/impressionen/unser-ururur-grossvater-der-diktator) ^14: Mariusz Jawoszek(https://www.marketscreener.com/insider/MARIUSZ-JAWOSZEK-A0JKWO/) ^15: SUPERINTENDENCIA DE INDUSTRIA Y COMERCIO LISTADO INFORMATIVO(https://serviciosweb.sic.gov.co/Soluciones/Sic/listadoPI/pdf/ListadoSignos2015-09-22.pdf) ^16: DESTILERIA COLOMBIANA ESTABLISHED IN 1913 LTDA(https://www.lasempresas.com.co/cartagena/destileria-colombiana-established-in-1913-ltda/) ^17: DICTADOR EUROPE(https://rejestr.io/krs/330671/dictador-europe) ^18: GORDENA INVESTMENTS LIMITED(https://cyprusregistry.com/companies/HE/201469) ^19: Dictador Rum Virtual Tasting(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcEcymNeJbM) ^20: Colombian Rum: Diego Quintero Jaramillo of Dictador Rum - Food for Thought(https://foodforthought.com.my/colombian-rum-diego-quintero-jaramillo-of-dictador-rum/) ^21: Fabrica De Licores Del Tolima - Clientes Aliados(https://www.fabricadelicoresdeltolima.com/inicio/clientes-aliados/) ^22: Rhum Dictateur - DuRhum(https://durhum.com/rhum-dictateur/) ^23: Rum Brand Reference - Who Makes and Owns the Brands - Rum Wonk(https://www.rumwonk.com/p/rum-brand-reference-who-makes-and?open=false%C2%A7dictador-non-distilling-producer-colombia-poland) ^24: NTC 278: Requisitos para el Ron Colombiano(https://www.scribd.com/document/367472596/NTC-278-Ron-pdf) ^25: Dictador 20-Year-Old Rum(https://www.masterofmalt.com/rum/dictador/dictador-20-year-old-rum/) ^26: Dictador 20 Year Old Rum 700mL(https://caskcartel.com/products/dictador-20-year-old-rum-700ml) ^27: Dictador - Miva(https://www.miva.com.hr/producers/producer-2431) ^28: Dictador - Manuels(https://www.manuels.ch/rum/rum/kolumbien/dictador/dictador-20-jahre) ^29: Dictador Best Of Sherry Cask Finish 1976 Vintage Rum(https://sipwhiskey.com/products/dictador-best-of-1976-vintage-rum?pos=4&sid=376ffc889&ss=r&fid=17487bfd9) ^30: Are Rare Rums The Newest Alternative Asset Class For Investors? - Forbes(https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemicallef/2021/09/18/are-rare-rums-the-newest-alternative-asset-class-for-investors/) ^31: Welcome to ArtHouse Spirits DAO - Medium(https://arthousespiritsdao.medium.com/welcome-to-arthouse-spirits-dao-11cdea937a3c) ^32: ArtHouse Spirits - OpenSea(https://opensea.io/collection/arthouse-spirits/activity) ^33: Etherscan(https://etherscan.io/address/0xb59ED065A4FA3C9e1bD18c6366181379Fb449883readContract) ^34: Dictador ArtHouse Spirits DAO(https://comcreo.com/case-study/dictador-arthouse-spirits-dao/) ^35: Seair Exim Solutions(https://www.seair.co.in/destileria-colombiana-established-in-1913-ltda-importers-in-colombia) ^36: Dictador Partners with World-Class Wine and Spirits Masters to Create Unique Colombian Rums(https://www.financecolombia.com/dictador-2-masters-partnership-wine-liquor-masters-finish-unique-colombian-rum/) ^37: IPCPR 2015: Dictador Cigars(https://halfwheel.com/ipcpr-2015-dictador-cigars/92814/) ^38: The Ultimate Guide to Dictador Rum(https://dictador.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-dictador-rum/) ^39: Destilería Colombiana Established in 1913 Ltda.(https://es.panjiva.com/Destileria-Colombiana-Established-I/24372004) ^40: Dictador Colombia Sas, Poland - Company Profile(https://www.volza.com/company-profile/dictador-colombia-sas-25531918/) ^41: Juzgado Octavo Administrativo del Circuito de Cartagena - Sentencia No. 0101 - Radicado 13-001-33-33-008-2019-00068-00 ^42: Daily Dram Guide 2010(https://www.thenectar.be/wp-content/uploads/daily-dram-guide-2010.pdf) ^43: Liste des produits de la marque Dictador(https://lamaisondurhum-paris.com/brand/8-dictador) ^44: Grandes Marcas Ltda. Cervezas Vinos Y Licores(https://www.infopiniones.com/colombia/actividad-economica-diferente/grandes-marcas-ltda-cervezas-vinos-y-licores) ^45: CONCEPTO TRIBUTARIO 87499 DE 2005(https://normograma.dian.gov.co/dian/compilacion/docs/conceptotributariodian00874992005.htm) ^46: DICTADOR EUROPE SPÓŁKA Z OGRANICZONĄ ODPOWIEDZIALNOŚCIĄ(https://www.bizraport.pl/krs/0000330671/dictador-europe-spolka-z-ograniczona-odpowiedzialnoscia) ^47: Dictador Holding Limited OÜ (16785569) (https://ariregister.rik.ee/eng/company/16785569/akipersoninvalidatejson) ^48: Dictador 1976 Lalique decanter sells for £30,000(https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2021/03/dictador-1967-lalique-decanter-sells-for-30000/) ^49: Indian Rebellion and Bourbon Reform in New Granada: Riots in Pasto, 1780–1800(https://read.dukeupress.edu/hahr/article/73/1/99/146169/Indian-Rebellion-and-Bourbon-Reform-in-New-Granada) ^50: Rumowe tokeny mają procentować na GPW(https://www.pb.pl/rumowe-tokeny-maja-procentowac-na-gpw-1198270) ^51: DECRETO 1686 DE 2012(https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/col115864.pdf) ^52: Dictador totem collection(https://dictador.com/product-category/totem/) ^53: Bottles Commissions(https://en.artemarakame.com/es-us/blogs/colaboraciones/comisiones-botellas) ^54: Johnnie Walker acknowledges Wixáritari with special-edition whisky(https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/johnnie-walker-acknowledges-wixaritari-with-special-whisky/) ^55: Tedeschi v. Diageo North America, Inc.(https://www.classaction.org/news/consumers-misled-by-labeling-of-ron-zacapa-23-centenario-rum-class-action-claims) ^56: CONSULTA DE PROCESOS NACIONAL UNIFICADA - 13001400300120090041200(https://consultaprocesos.ramajudicial.gov.co/Procesos/NombreRazonSocial) ^57: ‘Made using rum flavouring’: FSSAI informs Bombay High Court Old Monk can’t be sold as rum(https://indianexpress.com/article/legal-news/made-using-rum-flavouring-fssai-informs-bombay-high-court-old-monk-cant-be-sold-as-rum-10864639/) ^58: Diageo challenges India rum ban, arguing lack of due process(https://www.reuters.com/world/india/diageo-challenges-india-rum-ban-arguing-lack-due-process-2026-08-11/) ^59: Old Monk loses ground to McDowell's No.1(https://www.livemint.com/Industry/nqa77UEsic43YfKmJlUCBI/Old-Monk-loses-ground-to-McDowells-No1.html) ^60: El ron colombiano que triunfa en el mundo(https://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/cms-12824467) ^61: Productos - Ron Baluarte(https://web.archive.org/web/20091216150414/http://www.ronbaluarte.com/productos.php) ^62: Proceso - Ron Baluarte(https://web.archive.org/web/20091218000652/http://www.ronbaluarte.com/proceso.php)

Matt Pietrek traveled the world, visited countless distilleries, and wrote a medical textbook-sized book on them. Luca Gargano traveled the world and gave us Caroni. I went to my local distillery in Brooklyn. Have you seen airline ticket prices these days? History Standard Wormwood is a pretty small operation in Industry City, a converted industrial complex in Sunset Park. Founded in 2006 by Sasha Selimotic and Taras Hrabowsky, the distillery is dedicated to a single ingredient: wormwood. Their website says they grow it on their own farm in Orange County, New York, and they use it as an aromatic component to a variety of spirits, including, but far from limited to, absinthe. They claim on their website that they are (perhaps?) the only distillery and full cocktail bar in the world that makes every single cocktail ingredient in-house. Production View from the lounge. View from the bar. The distillery floor is small but busy. By the windows up against the bar are what I believe are two stills. One appears to be a hybrid batch still with a 5-plate column head, with additional copper and steel segments nearby that may be swappable configurations. The other is a smooth steel column still, likely used for producing more rectified spirits. It all looks very modular and configurable, and it's unclear whether they share a boiler or whether it's two truly separate stills. They only produce one rum, Standard Wormwood Rum, and I have reviewed it. The menu describes it as > High ester rum distilled with wormwood. Vapour infused with tropical fruits to give funky pineapple and banana undertones. It sounds to me like they distill their base rum with wormwood present in the still, and then pass the distillate vapors through a botanical basket packed with tropical fruit before condensing? I'm not sure if that's right, but it would be akin to a gin-style vapor infusion applied to rum. I remember when I emailed Hovdenak distillery in Iceland for information about their rum, they told me that they actually buy molasses from Jamaica and then ferment it to be funky, and I thought that this was really cool. Taras told me that the distillery originally also sourced Jamaican molasses and fermented it themselves, but that they've since moved away from that, as the fermentation was labor-intensive, took up significant space in a small facility, and didn't even save them very much money over simply buying bulk rum from a bulk supplier. They now source from Ultra Pure. Looking at Ultra Pure's catalog on bulkalcohol.com, one product jumps out at me immediately: > Jamaican Power Blender (Origin: Jamaica) > Blend of small batch pot still rums. Flavor profile: banana, pineapple, papaya, mango, and coconut. Intended for use in 5-15% concentrations with a base spirit. So the base spirit is a light column still rum from USVI, a la Captain Morgan. In other words, Ultra Pure's product is itself already a blend: a small proportion of high-ester Jamaican pot still rum mixed into a lot of cheap USVI column still rum, essentially the same principle as Rum Verschnitt (which is when German blenders imported small quantities of high-ester Jamaican rum and diluted it with neutral spirit, to stretch the funkiness of a small amount of Jamaican rum across a larger volume). Standard Wormwood then takes this pre-blended base, redistills it through their hybrid still with wormwood, and passes the vapors through a fruit basket. Taras told me that Ultra Pure does not disclose which individual Jamaican distilleries the rums in the blend are from. It might be a bit of a shame, because making your own fermentation rich in acids to make it funky sounds totally radical! But, their final product is still very unique. It's a funky Jamaican-style rum with the bitter finish of Malört, and it makes nice mixed drinks. Though, for the price, I can't really say it's a good value, when you can buy a 1L bottle of Planteray 3 Stars and 1L Spike's Breezeway Blend combined for the same price as a 750mL of this rum. But I get it, it's artisanal, small batch rum distilled in NYC. The bartenders were really friendly and knowledgable, and I do recommend Industry City for the vibes, and while you're there,you might as well stop by for a good rum cocktail.

This past weekend I attended the NY Rum Fest for the first time, and it was a fantastic experience. Imagine a conference room lined with about 30 tables, each representing a different company, and some offering upwards of 20 different bottles for tasting. Obviously, I could not try everything; even pacing myself and only taking small sips, I feel like I made it through less than a third of the bottles on offer. I will definitely be coming back next year. Cane juice aguardiente I took plenty of notes, but I wanted to start by spotlighting one company in particular: Nicoya. Their table stood out because Pierre Bardinet pulled a Hampden Estate and actually brought Nicoya's individual unaged marques for us to taste. Nicoya currently produces three marques: aguardientes of cane juice, cane syrup (aka cane honey), and molasses. Instead of using the much more common continuous multi-column setup, each ferment is batch-distilled in copper pot stills and then re-distilled in a copper column. These components are ultimately blended to create both their Blanco and Añejo expressions. Pierre let me try all three marques. Cane juice: Immediately reminiscent of Haitian cane spirits like Clairin Sajous. Vegetal, peppery, fruity, and sharp. Cane syrup: This one was more complex. There was still some vegetal notes, but now it was more deep, robust, and smoky, like Clairin Le Rocher, or Caña Criolla from The Rums of Mexico, with an aftertaste of buttered popcorn. Cane molasses: Interestingly, on the nose and initial palate, this one was the most subdued. Just typical notes of column still rum, but it had a deep umami note to it that I couldn't quite put my finger on. After trying each individually, I asked to have all three mixed together. The result was like an orchestra, where the cane juice was the top note, cane syrup was the melody, and molasses was the bass. Then I asked for more molasses because you always need more bass. It was actually incredible, and had it not been near the end of rum fest with a few more tables to visit, I would have stayed and played around with the blending some more. It was so fun! What other producer lets you taste cane juice, cane syrup, and molasses rums all produced from the same place in the exact same way, side-by-side? History Taboga is a new, small-scale distillery in Costa Rica, but its roots stretch much further back. Taboga Sugar Factory Harvesting sugarcane at Taboga. The Sanchez estate was established in 1916, and the Taboga Sugar Factory followed in 1958. It is an institution in Costa Rica, responsible for 20% of the country's sugar production. They also have operated an industrial alcohol distillery and have been exporting alcohol to Europe since 1997. In 2019, Taboga expanded its operations by opening Destilería Artesanal Taboga to produce artisanal rum. It's important to note that in Costa Rica, the state holds a monopoly on alcohol production. Fábrica Nacional de Licores (FANAL) has historically held the exclusive right to produce and distribute alcohol domestically, and they are likely to be the source of the distillate for Ron Centenario, the dominant rum brand from Costa Rica. Les Bienheureux Alexandre Sirech previously worked for Pernod Ricard, helping to revitalize the Cuban rum export business with Havana Club, before transitioning into the wine industry with his wife. In 2013, he partnered with Jean-François Moueix to found Les Bienheureux. They immediately dove into rum, releasing a cachaça and a cocoa rum in 2014, followed by Embargo in early 2015, and El Pasador de Oro in late 2015 (which I have previously reviewed). Crucially, none of these early rums were distilled in-house. They were sourced, blended, and finished in France. A similar approach was taken with their French whiskey brand, Bellevoye, which became a top-seller in France after being finished in cognac casks. From both a production and consumer preference standpoint, the French clearly possess a deep affinity for cognac cask finishing. Nicoya Pierre Bardinet joined Les Bienheureux in 2020. During a 2021 trip to Costa Rica, he decided that Taboga would be the ideal location for Les Bienheureux to begin distilling rum. Their guiding philosophy was to build a true single-estate distillery, a narrative that you will see throughout Nicoya's marketing and literature. They boldly claim, "Costa Rica deserved a great rum, and so we created Costa Rica's first rum distillery!", a direct jab at Ron Centenario. However, as you'll see, their claims of breaking the state monopoly and creating a single-estate distillery... have some nuances. The Pura Vida and Nicoya bottles. Products The Taboga distillery produces Ron 1916 and industrial alcohol as house brands, while producing Pura Vida and Nicoya specifically for Les Bienheureux. I don't know if Pura Vida remains a separate brand or if it underwent a direct rebranding into Nicoya in 2024, though I suspect the latter. Production Fermentation The distillery ferments its three marques (cane juice, cane syrup, and molasses) separately. Fermentation is strictly temperature-controlled between 28-32°C, and they use a commercial yeast strain from Lallemand. Distillation Stills at the Taboga distillery. The three components are batch-distilled separately in 5,000L copper pot stills, then re-distilled through a 14-plate copper column still. The cane juice is distilled to a final ABV of 82%, while the syrup and molasses are distilled to a final ABV of 88% ABV. Marketing photos reveal at least one column still and two pot stills on site, though there may be more outside the frame. Aging Each marque is aged individually, primarily in young ex-bourbon barrels sourced from Green River (Tennessee) and Wild Turkey (Kentucky). Roughly half of their inventory consists of first-fill barrels. These factors impart a heavier oak and vanilla influence. The XA expression, and perhaps others, are also finished in cognac casks in France. Oliver Dumont is the Cellar Master at Nicoya. Pierre is quick to declare that he feels that age statements are overrated. You might notice a lack of age statements across the Nicoya lineup. Neither the Añejo, XA, XO, etc. This caught my attention, particularly since Les Bienheureux's other major release, El Pasador de Oro, is a solera-aged product sourced from DARSA (the same distillery behind Zacapa) before being finished in France. I reached out to Pierre for clarification on this philosophy: > Q: None of the Nicoya expressions carry an age statement. Can you explain the reasoning for that decision? Was it a philosophical choice, or are some expressions solera aged and therefore don't have a true age statement? > A: Rum is a category with no rules in which the consumer is misleaded with false statements. When it comes to ageing, I'm often surprised to see some 15 to 30 'years old rums' produced in some countries with 10% evaporation per year. These competitors use the age of the oldest drop in the blend as the 'reference' year. Our rums are young and proud to be young. We have no dogma on the age our añejo can be 6 month, 1 year or 3 years old, we bottle it when we considered that it has an age profile with the oakiness well balanced with the rum. We use no solera. While I don't necessarily agree with the blanket statement that rum has "no rules", I understand the sentiment. In a separate interview with Taste the Dram, Pierre reinforced this perspective, stating: Stop asking 'how old is it?' and start asking 'where does it come from?' Single Estate & Terroir Nicoya heavily emphasizes its single-estate origins, frequently marketing itself as Costa Rica's only "cane-to-bottle" rum. Terroir is clearly central to Nicoya's identity. However, this raises an interesting point: all Nicoya expressions are shipped to France for bottling, and some expressions, such as XA (Extra Añejo), are finished in cognac casks in France. I reached out to Pierre about this for comment: > Q: The single-estate terroir is clearly central to Nicoya's identity. How do you think about the cognac cask finishing in France for the XA in that context? > A: We see the cognac ageing in France as a 'terroir' approach because it reveals through the rum the philosophy of the makers who came originally from the wine/cognac world before entering the rum category. It's an interesting defense. Given that the founders are French, their expertise is in cognac, they built their success on cognac-finished whiskey, the finishing process is essentially an expression of the makers' terroir. Though, in my opinion, if the story is how much the land matters, shipping your rum to France for finishing works against that narrative. Similarly, while Nicoya's total transparency regarding their 12g/L dosage is highly commendable, the addition of sugar presents another deviation from their claims of absolute purity. The Monopoly Nicoya's marketing leans heavily on their role as industry disruptors. I am quoting their promotional material directly: > How could this great nation not have its own rum? > Alcoholic beverages were exclusively controlled by a state monopoly. By demonstrating to the authorities, the quality of the rums we could produce and export, we changed the legislation. NICOYA is therefore the first Costa Rican rum in history! This claim is pretty extraordinary, and so I did some fact-checking. I could not find what the exact legal changes were, nor that the monopoly changed. It appears that, since the 1990s, the monopoly simply softened, and now it's more like a concession system in practice. Taboga has possessed a license to distill industrial alcohol for decades, built an artisanal rum distillery 2 years before employees of Les Bienheureux set foot in the country, and claiming to be the "first Costa Rican rum in history" is a massive stretch when Ron Centenario has been the country's dominant brand for much longer. Last Thoughts On a final note, lot of this information has only been possible because Pierre was very responsive and engaged openly with my questions, and he even sent me a full media package and several powerpoints. I've reached out to the makers of Zacapa and Dictador and have gotten no response, so I greatly appreciate Pierre's knowledge and accessibility. References I have used the following sources for the information in this article: Marketing material provided by Les Bienheureux Direct messaging with Pierre Bardinet About Us - Taboga(https://www.taboga.cr/about-us) \Brand Focus \ The success story of Les Bienheureux - Rumporter(https://rumporter.com/en/brand-focus-the-success-story-of-les-bienheureux/) “Taste the Place: Why Nicoya Is Pushing Rum Beyond Age Statements” - Taste the Dram(https://www.tastethedram.com/single-post/2026/04/04/nicoya-rum-interview-single-estate-costa-rica/)