Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
n
rum
Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...
distiller, and a subsidiary of Gruppo Montenegro. It was founded in 1938 and produces a range of rums, including a white rum Pampero Blanco (used to make cocktails), an aged rum Pampero Especial (a blend of dark Venezuelan rums aged for two years in oak casks), and an aged rum Pampero Aniversario (sold in a brown leather pouch).
Pampero's main markets are
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
. Its main production plant is located at "Complejo Licorero del Centro", in Ocumare, Miranda state, in the region of the Tuy river valleys, in the central plains.
Name
"Ron Pampero" is typically known by Venezuelans as "Caballito Frenao" (literally "Restrained Horse" but in this context "Rearing Horse"), in reference to its popular brand logo, a cowboy sitting astride a rearing horse in the Venezuelan plains, a scene comparable to that of the
gaucho
A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, the southern part of Bolivia, and the south of Chilean Patago ...
from the Argentinian plains, or
Pampas
The Pampas (; from Quechua 'plain'), also known as the Pampas Plain, are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all o ...
, so therefore its name (''"Pampero"'' literally means "from the Pampas", although the Venezuelan plains are called
Llanos
The Llanos ( Spanish ''Los Llanos'', "The Plains"; ) is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical grasslands, ...
).
History
Pampero was founded in 1938 by Alejandro Hernández, the son of Dr. Amador Hernandez and Dolorita Hernandez from Juan Griego,
Margarita
A margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. Some margarita recipes include simple syrup as well and are often served with salt on the rim of the glass. Margaritas can be served either shaken with ice (on the rock ...
.
In 1991, Tamayo sold 95% of Industrias Pampero to the
United Distillers
United Distillers was a Scottish company formed in 1987 from combining the businesses of Distillers Company and Arthur Bell & Sons, both owned by Guinness. The company owned six single malt Scotch brands, which were relaunched as the ''Classic ...
subsidiary of
Guinness Brewery
St. James's Gate Brewery is a brewery founded in 1759 in Dublin, Ireland, by Arthur Guinness. The company is now a part of Diageo, a company formed from the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan in 1997. The main product of the brewery is ...
for £45 million.
In February 2024, a report claimed Diageo was looking to sell ''Pampero Rum'', and in July 2024, ''Pampero rum'' was sold to Gruppo Montenegro which is a leading Italian food and spirits manufacturer for an undisclosed sum.
Products
Pampero rums, being aged, have a golden color that comes from having been matured in
oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
casks
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids ...
for several years, the duration depending on the type of rum.
Current Pampero products include:
*
Carúpano
Carúpano is a city in the eastern Venezuelan state of Sucre. It is located on the Venezuelan Caribbean coast at the opening of two valleys, some 120 km east of the capital of Sucre, Cumaná.Diageo Official website Bottle label collection