Hacienda Santa Teresa

Santa Teresa has been making rum at El Consejo in the Aragua valleys since 1796, which makes it one of the oldest continuously working estates of its kind in the country. Cane is grown on the estate, distilled on site and aged in oak in cellars that hold stock going back decades, with the older expressions finished by a solera system. Tours run through the fields, the distillery and the ageing cellars, and take in the estate house and chapel.

What you actually see

• The ageing cellars - oak casks holding stock built up over decades.
• The solera system - the fractional blending used for the older expressions.
• The cane fields - the estate's own plantations feeding the distillery.
• The estate house - the historic hacienda buildings and chapel.

When to go

Year round; tours run to a set schedule and must be booked. Harvest and milling are seasonal and not always in progress. Weekends are busiest.

Honest expectations

Tours must be booked ahead and are not available on demand. Production is not always running when visitors come through. The tasting is short and the retail element prominent.

Nearby

Maracay is west, and Caracas is east.