Jerez, 30^th of September 2021 – Dictador, the award-winning premium Colombian rum brand, is proud to announce their latest collaboration in the 2 Masters series, partnering with a historic winery, Ximénez-Spínola. The Dictador 2 Masters Ximénez-Spínola 1976 Edition, available from the 1^th October, is the tenth addition to the Dictador 2 Masters Collection of ultra-premium rums.

The revolutionary project, founded by Dictador’s Master Blender, Hernan Parra, was created with the intention to advance the perceptions of what luxury rum could be, through creative collaborations of the highest calibre. Parra invited a group of highly-respected wine and spirit producers worldwide to ‘finish’ a Dictador blend as they wish, applying their own skill, character, and style to a portion of Parra’s vintage Dictador rum portfolio.  The results are both masterful and unexpected, and this latest release, in partnership with Ximénez-Spínola, is no different.

The Jerez family winery has almost 300 years of experience producing the finest wines, sherries, and brandies from Pedro Ximénez grapes only. Considered a cult winery by connoisseurs due to its outstanding quality and small production numbers, Ximénez-Spínola was the ideal partner to collaborate with Dictador on such an extraordinary release.

This exceptional liquid, available for €960/£828 in an edition of just 390 bottles, has been wood-aged for 45 years and is provided with a remarkable smoothness that is highly unusual for such an old spirit. This is thanks to the 13-month rounding process in Pedro Ximénez sherry barrels in Jerez, which softens the tannins that could otherwise be expected to be overpowering, delivering a beautifully evolved rum.

The final result is a long, intense aroma with notes of raisins. Initial perfume of Christmas cake with burnt edges can be found, along with flaked almonds and tropical lilies. A scent of burnt toffee lingers.

The liquid itself is smooth, layered, and complex, with each layer of aroma and taste revealing itself in turn on the palate despite its high alcohol content of 46.4% ABV. The creamy, mouth-filling texture delivers the sweet flavours of treacle toffee with suggestions of wine-marinated glazed pork and warm spice to finish.

Speaking of the creation process, José Antonio Zarzana Marín, the ninth generation of winemakers in his family, said:

“At Ximénez-Spínola, we have put all our care into this rum, which was already a jewel when it left Colombia. It was distilled the same year I was born, so we are honoured to have provided the barrels of Pedro Ximénez to service this historic distillate. Both our companies have an exciting story, separate to each other and written long ago. But with 2 Masters, we are together, writing a new chapter of that story, and we are doing so with a true enthusiasm that is necessary to achieve a product that goes beyond excellence. Our hope is that our children will continue on this journey together, that we are embarking on with Dictador.”

To protect the authenticity of this new limited edition, and the integrity of the partnership, Dictador has developed innovative and robust bottle security features which are applied for all 2 Masters editions. The 2 Masters label contains 11 layers of protection, guillochés, gold paint with UV glowing protection, microtext, and typographical numbering, including holistic cryptographic technology. Special safety packaging made of armoured glass uses fingerprint technology for unlocking; it can legitimately claim to be the most protected bottle in the world.

Dictador 2 Masters Ximénez-Spínola 1976 will be available in the number of 390 bottles for SRP €960/£828.

Dictador 2 Masters Ximenez-Spinola 1976 Tasting Notes, by Charles Maclean.

Appearance: Deep polished rosewood, with crimson lights. Slow, thick legs, indicating texture.

Nose: A profound and mellow nose-feel, lightly nose-drying. The top notes are of Christmas cake with burnt edges, with toasted flaked almonds, becoming gamey and meaty after a while (roast grouse). The mid-notes are both fruity (old Madeira) and floral – a heady, scented fragrance of tropical lilies on a hot night. The base note is reminiscent of burnt toffee.

Palate: A creamy, mouth-filling texture and a sweet taste overall, with treacle toffee in mid-palate and a suggestion of wine-marinated and glazed pork. Then a perfumed finish, pleasantly mouth-cooling with lingering warm spice.