Lorena Vásquez

There is a remarkable precision behind every bottle of Zacapa Rum, and for more than 40 years, Lorena Vásquez has been one of the people defining it. The Nicaraguan-born master blender has built a career in an industry where few women have reached her level, helping shape Zacapa’s distinctive character while changing perceptions of what rum can be.

Her path began far from the world of luxury spirits. Vásquez studied pharmaceutical chemistry before moving to Guatemala in her twenties with her husband and first child. She later pursued food technology and found her first job in the country in quality control at a brewery, where she developed experience in fermentation and sensory analysis. At 29, she joined Zacapa in quality control and gradually immersed herself in fermentation, maturation, aging and blending.

Science has always been part of Vásquez’s approach, but so have her exceptional sense of smell and taste. Over the years, she helped shape Zacapa’s signature rich, layered flavor. The rum is made with first-press sugarcane honey and aged through the Sistema Solera, which blends rums of different ages matured in several types of barrels. Much of that aging happens about 2,300 meters above sea level in Guatemala’s highlands, where the cooler climate slows the process.

© Lorena Vasquez

In 2025, Vásquez marked roughly 40 years with Zacapa, a career that has helped change how people see rum, from a cocktail staple to a spirit meant to be sipped and enjoyed like whisky or Cognac. That year, she continued representing Zacapa internationally, including at events in the Philippines and the launch of Zacapa XO in Thailand. The XO expression also earned a Gold Medal at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Through the Zacapa Petate Initiative, more than 700 women across Guatemala handweave the palm bands that wrap the bottles, earning an income while keeping alive a traditional craft rooted in Maya culture. Vásquez has also spoken about how women have taken on a greater presence across Zacapa, including in agriculture and production.

After more than four decades, she continues to oversee the blends, represent Zacapa and Guatemala around the world. Vásquez’s impact can be measured not only in the rum she has helped perfect, but in what has changed around her. She entered a male-dominated industry as a young quality-control scientist and rose to become one of its most prominent master blenders.

Today, as Zacapa enters its next 50 years, she continues to connect a globally recognized spirit to the country, craftsmanship and the women behind it. Her legacy is not simply preserving a signature blend, but ensuring the next chapter makes room for women too.