Diplomatico Seleccion de Familia

Diplomatico Seleccion de Familia is an 86-proof (43% ABV) super-premium Venezuelan rum in a 750mL bottle, aged up to 12 years in American white oak, ex-bourbon, and ex-sherry casks at Destilerías Unidas (DUSA) in La Miel, at the foothills of the Andes. Ninety percent copper pot still rum gives it a drier, spicier, more complex character than the familiar Reserva Exclusiva. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.

• Proof / ABV: 86 proof (43% ABV)
• Size: 750mL
• Aging: up to 12 years in American white oak, ex-bourbon, and ex-sherry (PX & Oloroso) casks
• Blend: 90% copper pot still, 5% Barbet column still, 5% batch kettle still; molasses + sugar cane honey
• Origin: Destilerías Unidas S.A., La Miel, Lara State, Venezuela

The Drier Side of Diplomatico

Selección de Familia was created to show what the Ballesteros family's distillery can do when it leans into pot still intensity: 90% heavy copper-pot rum, matured up to twelve years across three cask types, bottled at a higher proof than the brand's sweeter staples. The result keeps Diplomático's signature smoothness but trades sugar for spice, tannin, and sherry-cask depth — a rum built as much for stirred cocktails as for the snifter. Browse the Diplomatico collection or explore the full rum aisle at Del Mesa.

Tasting Notes

Per the distillery: vanilla, toffee, red fruits, and oak on the nose; sugarcane, honey, and red fruits on the palate with vanilla and oak; a long, well-rounded finish of wood, plum, and toffee. Independent tasters add prunes, dates, figs, coconut macaroon, tobacco leaf, chicory, and a black-tea tannin grip — genuinely drier than Reserva Exclusiva.

How to Enjoy

Neat or with one large cube to appreciate the sherry-cask layers. Diplomático's own ambassador reaches for it in stirred drinks — try it in a rum Old Fashioned, a Sazerac, or a Manhattan where its spice can stand up to the vermouth.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Seleccion de Familia different from Reserva Exclusiva?
It is drier, spicier, and bottled at higher proof (43% vs 40%), with 90% pot still rum and full sherry-cask maturation for more complexity.

Where is Diplomatico Seleccion de Familia made?
At Destilerías Unidas in La Miel, Venezuela, near Terepaima National Park at the base of the Andes.

Is Diplomatico Seleccion de Familia good for cocktails?
Yes — it was designed with cocktails in mind; its spice and higher proof hold up in stirred drinks like the Old Fashioned and Manhattan.

For the rum drinker who outgrew sweet — buy Diplomatico Seleccion de Familia online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.