The cradle of Venezuelan Rum

Originally from the Far East, sugar cane came to Venezuela via the Dominican Republic where it had arrived from the Canary Islands. It was brought by the Spanish conquistadors who used it to sweeten their food and make their fermented guarapos (sugarcane liquor), predecessors of rum.

By the end of the 16th century sugar cane was already being cultivated in the Valleys of Aragua, in the heart of Venezuela.

Here in 1796, the Count of Tovar y Blanco founded Hacienda Santa Teresa.

In 1885, Gustavo Julio Vollmer Ribas purchased Hacienda Santa Teresa where the original Ron de Venezuela has been produced since the 19th century.

With an ideal altitude that guarantees cool temperatures at night and high temperatures during the day, Hacienda Santa Teresa harvest "the sweetest and juiciest sugar cane".

The sugar cane is crushed in the refinery at El Consejo (Revenga County, Aragua state) and the process of fermenting the molasses begins. The fermented must is distilled into a very light alcohol which is the base for Ron Santa Teresa.

The alcohols are diluted with water of the highest purity extracted from deep wells, and stored in barrels of white American and French Limousin oak. This is the start of an ageing process that will last at least two years, and the beginning of the magic of rum.

Santa Teresa have rums with over 10 years of ageing and vintages of over 20 years. They also store rums aged for about 80 years , which are used to prepare the most premium blends.

Light young rums are blended with more mature heavy rums to make the Gran Reserva.