Just as he would when treating an aged rum itself, Néstor Ortega patiently allowed his knowledge to mature over time to become the master rum-maker at Ron Santa Teresa. A graduate in Chemical Engineering from the Universidad Simón Bolivar (1980), he began to work in the processing area where he learnt the art of blending to ensure that each and every rum bearing the company’s name would be produced according to an exact formula. His later work in charge of the distillery and in the area of product quality and development completed his preparation so that today he is the custodian of those special secrets that go into the production of every bottle of rum made at Ron Santa Teresa.

Ortega, who has held this important post since 1998, is one of the most important ambassadors of the Santa Teresa brand, representing it in festivals, tastings, talks and congresses not only in Venezuela but also in countries such as Japan, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Chile and Mexico, among many others. Since 2003 he has been technical consultant of the Venezuelan Rum Registered Designation of Origin and in 2013 was honoured by the International Congress of Rum in Madrid as the Best Master Rum-Maker. His career in Ron Santa Teresa already stretches back over 35 years.