- A LIMITED SELECTION OF 360 BOTTLES TO BE RELEASED WORLDWIDE 20th of October.

Following the successful launch of Dictador Wixárika, the first edition of the 
TOTEM collection, Dictador is now launching their second edition, MOPA MOPA. 
TOTEM was established to preserve cultural diversity, encourage traditionalism 
in art, and honor indigenous artisans and their techniques, dating back 
centuries.

With rare wines and spirits reaching increasingly large values and attracting 
global investment, Dictador is pioneering aged rum for collecting connoisseurs. 
The brand owns the world's largest stock of aged rum, up to 45 years old, 
allowing Dictador to release a range of innovative, yet fine and rare editions 
unrivaled by competitors – creating an entirely new luxury category for 
prestige rums and distributing its award-winning products to more than 80 
countries around the world.

The limited edition, Dictador MOPA MOPA collection, is an exceptional 
demonstration of the artistry, technique, and thought devoted to the 
development of these collectible rum bottles. There are only 360 bottles within 
MOPA MOPA and each bottle has been hand-decorated by Colombian artists. This 
collection represents this historic, ancient art form but is also a symbol of 
the love and respect these artisans have for their homeland and its rich 
culture.

The inspiration for these bottles stems from the ancient tradition of using 
Mopa Mopa, a native South American phenolic resin, used for centuries in 
cultural contexts by artisans in the region of Pasto, Colombia, to decorate 
ceremonial drinking cups known as 'Qeros.' The process involves a complex cycle 
of production whereby sheets of flexible resin are extracted from trees of the 
genus Elaeagia, which grows in mountainous regions of western South America. 
This is done without harming the tree during the process.

The trek to collect the resin is always done on foot and typically takes up to 
5 hours to reach the destination point. Resin gatherers will then set up 
campsites in the wilderness for 8 to 15 days as they comb through patches of 
trees for viable harvest. In total, the resin gatherers will collect between 
6-9 kilos of Mopa Mopa which will then be sold to varnish masters at a central 
location closer to town. Mopa Mopa is sacred because of the beauty it makes 
possible but also because of the effort involved in sourcing it and the rarity 
of it - the harvest only happens twice a year between May and November.

Because the artistry of Mopa Mopa is so intricate and time-consuming, it cannot 
be automated for mass production. As a result, the people involved are crucial 
in the making of these limited-edition bottles. Like many indigenous processes, 
the harvesting of Mopa Mopa and the ancestral knowledge of the Pasto varnish 
application process is under threat of being lost due to deforestation and 
agricultural encroachment. It is because of the passion and commitment of these 
local people that this artform has been kept alive.

Starting at 3,600 – 4,800 EUR the limited-edition bottles are available for 
sale on Dictador's online store [https://onlinestore.dictador.com/]. 

About Dictador:

For more than 40 years, Dictador has been creating ultra-premium, aged rum in 
the heart of Cartagena, Colombia. In the experienced hands of third generation 
rum producer and master blender, Hernan Parra, this Colombian distillery has 
meticulously perfected the manufacturing process while maintaining family 
recipes and techniques. Dictador has the world's largest stock assets of aged 
rum, up to 45 years old, allowing the brand to release a range of innovative, 
yet fine and rare editions unrivaled by competitors – creating an entirely new 
luxury category for Fine Rums. Due to its geographical location, Colombia is 
one of the three largest sugarcane producers in the world, ensuring both high 
quality and large harvests. Cartagena and its surroundings are famous for being 
the first sugarcane production areas in South America. The location of the 
distillery provides a magical balance between weather and land, enabling the 
production of a unique palette of award-winning rum that is now distributed in 
more than 80 countries across the globe. For more information, please visit: 
www.dictador.com / @the_dictador [https://www.instagram.com/the_dictador/]     

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1927172/Dictador_Mopa_Mopa.jpg

SOURCE: Dictador