The Ultimate Guide to Dictador Rum

What is Dictador rum?

Dictador rum is a luxury spirits brand producing fine aged rum. With over a 100 years of family legacy and the largest stock of investment-grade rum in the world, we forge the way towards innovation and create a new category of fine spirits.

What does Dictador company do?

Dictador is one of the lead producers of luxury rum in the world. But that’s not all we do. By blending innovation with tradition, we constantly engage in new projects and create stereotype-breaking collections of fine alcohol.

What’s more, Dictador is an ArtHouse Spirits brand. We mix our passion for luxury spirits with our love for contemporary art, creating concepts no other brand has invented before. We rebel against the ordinary and strive to positively impact the future.

Is Dictador rum Polish?

The rum is made in the heart of Cartagena, Colombia. Dictador rum is a true Colombian rum. Global operations are managed from Europe, specifically from Poland.

Where is Dictador rum made?

Dictador rum is made in a distillery in Cartagena, Colombia. The company was established in 1913 and, run by generations of the Parra family. Its current head is Hernan Parra - the third generation of the renowned Colombian rum producers.

What is the most expensive Dictador rum?

The first one billion-dollar limited edition – Dictador M-city Golden Cities

The M-City Golden Cities series from Dictador starts at $1.5 million. The value of each bottle is based on customizable factors and specifications selected by the buyer. Customers have the unique opportunity to visit Dictador’s distillery and craft their own exclusive blend from a choice of 110 private casks. This bespoke rum is then bottled in a handcrafted, personalized bottle made of 24-carat gold by the artist M-City. These rum bottles are not only rare but also highly exclusive, available only through invitation.

Dictador x Richard Orlinski 5 Decades

Blended by Dictador Distillery Master, Hernan Parra, Dictador 5 Decades uses rum from finely aged 1966 / 1976 / 1986 / 1996 / 2006 casks, representing five decades of the Richard Orlinski life and work. Parra has personally selected the best barrels from his family’s private stock in Colombia to create the exceptional liquid, truly art in itself, with 525 bottles available worldwide (100 in each colour way, plus 25 bottles hand-painted by Orlinski). Prices for these artworks start at €40,000, with hand-painted examples reaching up to €100,000.

Historical record at Sotheby's

The Dictador Generations en Lalique bottle was purchased for £30,000 in March 2021. It is the highest value achieved for a bottle of rum during a Sotheby’s Auction in history.

Dictador rum collections

We constantly experiment with new forms of blending luxury rum and art. We ceaselessly look for unique partnerships and collaborations that will break barriers and elevate innovation in the world of fine spirits to a new level.

Dictador regularly introduces fresh collections. Here are some of the ones we currently feature - all limited-edition, all one-of-a-kind:

Richard Orlinski - Dictador 5 Decades

Where the Totem collection pays homage to the traditional forms of craft, Dictador 5 Decades is a celebration of modern art. It is the first time that a spirit from the rum category is entirely encased within a work of art.

Richard Orlinski is known for rebelling against the “norm” and pushing boundaries in an area that is generally considered quite daring, which is contemporary art. He transforms industrial materials into unique sculptures, usually representing wildlife and cultural icons.

The bold gorilla sculpture, serving at the same time for a bottle, comes in 5 colour variations - a 100 bottles in each colour. 25 additional bottles were hand-painted by Richard Orlinski himself, bringing the already incredible work of art to a higher level.

The name of the collection - Dictador 5 Decades - is a reference to 50 years of the artist’s life and artistic activity. It also finds its reflection in the contents of the bottles; 30 barrels with vintages spanning over 5 decades, from 1966 to 2006.

This specific blend will never be used again, making Dictador 5 Generations the only opportunity to taste some of the oldest rums in the world.

Dictador Generations en Lalique

Dictador Generations en Lalique is the fruit of a collaboration between a father and son. Hernan Parra - Dictador’s current Master Blender - worked together with his father, Dario, to create a unique blend.

Other than the collaboration between father and son, Dictador Generations en Lalique is also the result of another partnership. The bottles used in this innovative project were produced by Lalique - the world-renown French crystal brand.

Lalique has engaged in similar partnerships in the past, selecting only the finest producers of luxury spirits in the world. Dictador is the first rum brand invited for this collaboration with the French manufacturer.

There are two editions of Dictador Generations en Lalique. The first one features a blend of 1976 vintage rum, aged in American Oak and Port casks. It is enclosed within a frosted crystal bottle. Its surface is inspired by the waves of the Caribbean Sea - beautifully ragged, reflecting rays of the sun.

Only 300 bottles were released, making Dictador Generations en Lalique an extremely limited-edition collection.

The success of the first edition created a demand for a new collaboration. This time, Hernan and Dario Parra crafted a unique 1977 vintage blend. The bottle is a polar opposite of the frosted, crystal one.

Imitating onyx, the crystal decanter of Dictador Generations en Lalique 2.0 no longer reflects light - it absorbs it, giving the impression of sea waves at night. Just like in the first edition, this collection features only 300 exclusive bottles, hand-crafted by the French crystal manufacturer.

Both bottles are a true masterpiece. They are a testimony to Lalique’s unique craftsmanship, and a first collaboration of this kind of a luxury rum brand with the French crystal producer.

Dictador Totem

The Dictador Totem collection is a tribute towards heritage. It was born out of our appreciation for history and respect for the roots of our ancestors.

In the Totem series, Dictador entered collaborations like no others. We asked ethnic communities around the world to create one-of-a-kind bottle designs, preserving the local forms of art.

Peyote

The newest rendering of the collection draws on the spiritual significance of Peyote - a sacred plant in the culture of Huichol Indians, Wixáritari.

The bottles in the Dictador Totem Peyote collection were decorated by hand with colourful glass beads, reflecting the traditional patterns used in ceremonies. The geometry reflects the connection between the domains of spiritualism and life on Earth.

The Dictador Totem Peyote bottles hold a unique blend of rum distilled between 1993 and 2001, aged in American Oak and Sherry casks. The refined flavour is a nod towards the rich culture of the Wixáritari tribe.

Only 720 bottles were created within the Peyote edition, adorned with 20 distinctive designs.

Mopa Mopa

Dictador Totem Mopa Mopa is a return to Dictador’s roots. Bottles hand-crafted in San Juan de Pasto in Colombia pay homage to the culture of the country that gave birth to the Dictador rum and brand.

Mopa Mopa is a type of phenolic resin, extracted from Eleagia trees found in South America, used to craft ceremonial drinking cups called Qeros. The resin sheets are carefully hand-picked without causing harm to the tree, demonstrating the local citizens’ deep respect for nature.

Dictador Totem Mopa Mopa comprises of 360 bottles with 15 unique patterns adorned using the Pasto Varnish technique - named an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2008. Each bottle holds a special blend distilled between 1982 and 1988, aged in Sherry, Bourbon, and Port casks.

Wixarica

The first edition of Dictador Totem collection was a partnership with Huichol Indians from Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico. 10 local artists were asked to create unique patterns for a total of 250 bottles, hand-decorated with colourful beads following traditional methods.

The rum enclosed within them is a special blend distilled between 1976 and 1980, aged in American Oak and Sherry casks. The traditional character and the mature vintage are a reference to the long history of the Wixáritari tribe, and the rich flavour of the blend reflects the richness of the ethnic culture.

Dictador 2 Masters

Dictador 2 Masters is a collaborative collection. We invited the greatest craftsmen of distinct categories of spirits to partner with us in this unique project.

The Masters are entrusted with casks of Dictador rum to carry on the maturation process. The rum ages in the barrels previously used to store the respective kinds of alcohol, according to the blenders’ unique methods specific for their domains.

The result of Dictador 2 Masters are limited-edition bottles bearing the signature and fingerprint of our Master Blender, Hernan Parra, and the other Master responsible for each line of the collection.

The Master Blenders are given absolute freedom in taking care of Dictador rum upon welcoming it into their storage. Hernan Parra personally visits each Master collaborating with us on this revolutionary project, overseeing the progress and discussing the methodology.

It is a truly unique initiative - the world of luxury alcohols has never witnessed such an exchange between the greatest Masters of their trade. So far, we have collaborated with Masters of the following brands within the Dictador 2 Masters collection:

• Penderyn - Aista Phillips
• Carlos I - Ignacio Lozano
• Ximénez Spínola - José Antonio Zarzana
• Niepoort - Dirk Niepoort
• Barton - Drew Mayville
• Royal Tokaji - Zoltan Kovacs Adorjan
• Château d'Arche - Jérôme Cosson
• Despagne - Thibault Despagne
• Glenfarclas - Callum Fraser
• Hardy - Mickaël Bouilly
• Laballe - Cyril Laudet
• Leclerc Briant - Hervé Jestin

Dictador Essentials

Dictador Aurum

Dictador Aurum, truly bold, is the perfect crescendo to any meal. Extra old. Blended rum between 25-35 years old, aged in premium quality, ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. An extremely smooth mouthfeel with hints of spice and oak and a long spicy chocolate–filled finish.

Dictador Platinum

Dictador Platinum, one of our extra old, ultra-premium rums. A blend of exquisite rums aged 25-35 years in ex-bourbon and Port casks. Characteristic caramel aroma with a hint of white chocolate, offering a dry sweetness on the palate with a long, smooth finish.

Dictador 20

Dictador 20 is a blend based on rums aged in oak casks up to two decades. Years of aging result in a complex depth of flavor with a rare texture and long finish.

Dictador 12

Classic doesn’t mean boring. Dictador 12 is a blend built upon a base of rums aged up to 12 years, aged in oak casks, which results in a very smooth and rounded taste with caramel and vanilla aromas.