Tanduay Rum Awarded Medals in Spirits Awards Belgium

Dubbed “The United Nations of Fine Spirits”, the international competition rewards spirits from across the globe. It has a panel of internationally renowned experts assessing and classifying whiskies, cognacs, brandies, rums, vodkas, and gins, among others.

Tanduay products continue to gain recognition from prestigious spirits competitions abroad. Most recently, Tanduay Asian Rum Gold and Tanduay Asian Rum Silver were both awarded silver medals at the Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial in Brussels, Belgium.

“There are many fine spirits around the world, and we are honored that our products have been chosen as two of the best. We accept this recognition with both pride and humility, and we thank all our people for their hard work and dedication in continuous-ly crafting quality products that are proudly Philippine-made.” ~Paul Lim, Tanduay Distillers, Inc. Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing

The Tanduay Asian Rum Gold is one of the company’s most-awarded products. Aged in used Bourbon barrels for seven years, it is silky smooth with elegant flavors, almonds, dried dark fruits, and island spices. 

The Tanduay Asian Rum Silver has also received several recognitions throughout the years. It is aged in used Bourbon barrels for five years and had hints of dried tropical fruits, vanilla, and toasted coconut.

This year, Tanduay continued to expand its international presence when it inked deals with top wines and spirits distributors from several U.S. states. Its U.S. presence now encompasses Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, Nevada, Wisconsin, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, California, Tennessee, and Michigan, and the territory of Guam.

Tanduay has also expanded its market in China and entered Singapore. The company is likewise working on its distribution in Europe.

Tanduay Partners with Octopus Distribution Now Available in Singapore

“Partnering with the Octopus Group is part of our effort to bring Tanduay to the global market. We are glad to finally make our products available to our kababayans in Singapore and at the same time introduce them to the Singaporeans.” ~Tanduay President and COO Lucio K. Tan, Jr

Present during the rooftop launch in Singapore were (from left) Mr. Paul Lim, SVP for Marketing, Tanduay Distillers Inc.; Mr. Marc Ngo, Senior Brand Manager, Tanduay Distillers Inc.; Mr. Daniel Schwalb, Chief Commercial Officer, Octopus Group; Ms. Dato Elaine-Teh, Executive Chairman, Octopus Group; Mr. Lucio K. Tan Jr., President and COO, Tanduay Distillers Inc.; Mr. Matthew Ruscoe, Managing Director, Octopus Group; Ms. Karlu Tan-Say, Director of Eton Properties; Ms. Jane Ong , AVP for Exports, Tanduay Distillers Inc.; and Mr. Roy Sumang, Asst. Manager for Business Development, Tanduay Distillers Inc.

Tanduay increased its market share abroad by expanding its distribution networks. It is currently available in the USA, Germany, China, UAE, Guam, and Australia. In 2017, it further amplified its marketing initiatives. From that year, it experienced a two-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 86.25% in its export business.

Mr. Lucio K. Tan Jr., President, and COO, Tanduay Distillers Inc.

Tanduay Distillers, Inc. recently entered into a partnership with Octopus Distribution Networks, the leading distributor for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in Singapore, to further its international expansion plan.

To celebrate the deal, it held a rooftop launch at the Octopus Building in Ubi Road 3 in the Lion City. With the theme "Tanduay Sunset Party", the event was attended by Tanduay President Lucio K. Tan, Jr., the executives, and staff of the Octopus Group, F&B directors, restaurant owners, bar managers, and members of the media. Tanduay's resident mixologist, Dondz Bolante, served high-end cocktails such as the Guava-Basil Mint, Tanduay Negroni, Manila Mule, and Basil Mojito.

After the party, the Octopus Group held a trade launch at El Mesa in Clarke Quay. Attendees enjoyed free-flowing mojitos, Dondz special macadamia sour as well as Lechon while being entertained by El Mesa's in-house bands.

Tanduay’s international marketing initiatives include creating a presence in both sports and entertainment. It has a partnership with the Golden State Warriors, making it the first Philippine brand to sponsor an NBA team. It has naming rights to the Tanduay Club in the Oracle Arena, and Tanduay Rum can be found at retailers in the Golden State Warriors’ blue and gold “Strength in Numbers” collectible boxes in California.

Declared the World’s Number One Rum by Drinks International for two consecutive years, Tanduay has received numerous awards from international bodies, the most recent of which were from the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC).

Tanduay is also the official rum of the Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets. It has been a Presenting Sponsor of the 40/40 CLUB and an Associate Sponsor of the arena's Brooklyn Show platform.

Tanduay has also previously sponsored and will continue to sponsor the Emmy Awards this year.

Major Festivals in Bacolod celebrated Tanduay’s Rum Fest

“Fortunately for us, Tanduay really invested into this. It made the Rum Festival a reality and a big success, judging from its initial staging. It started with a big bang, and this big bang would resonate for sure in the years to come. For our other festivals, it was a case of holding the festival first, testing it, then later on legitimizing it through the legislative process,” Mayor Leonardia said. “This one (Rum Festival) was an ordinance before it became a festival. I consider myself an accidental politician. It all started when I got involved with the Masskara Festival. I was the one who drafted the constitution and by-laws of the Masskara Foundation. When I received invitations to run, I decided to join, run like it was another student council election. Even if you don’t have much money, if the people want you, you could become mayor. When you’re in tourism, you have to be people-oriented. You also go to a lot of places, your horizons get widened, your views become broader, and you get insights. You learn to think of the total development of the community and society. If you think about it and look back, we should be asking ourselves why we haven’t done this earlier. When you talk of rum, you talk about it being a derivative of sugar, and Bacolod is a city that has developed and prospered because of the sugar industry. It made us so rich, and it has also made us poor. It had its ups and downs. The Bacolodnons are the kind of people who are basically happy. We enjoy life. We know how to celebrate. We know how to spend our money. It’s a natural habitat for festivals, and this is the right place to hold the Rum Festival.” ~Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia , Bacolod City Mayor

Bacolod City, The City of Smiles is more than just a welcoming heartwarming smile but a lot more of celebrations. Headed by Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia now has six major festivals in its annual roster with the recent inclusion of the Rum Festival sponsored by Tanduay. This makes Bacolod the city with the most number of major festivals in the Philippines.

Hon. Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Bacolod City Mayor

In staging the first Rum Festival in the country, Mayor Leonardia it’s only fitting that it should be held in Bacolod. Mayor Leonardia likewise pointed out that Bacolod is a good place to hold festivals because of its people.

When he finally threw his hat into the political arena, he emerged as the number one councilor in his first try. He received a record number of votes, even more than those of the mayor or vice mayor during that time.

In the next election, he won again, this time as vice mayor. When he finally decided to run for mayor, he successfully toppled the ruling dynasty in his city. Heading the dynamic city of Bacolod, Mayor Leonardia cited his experience working in the Tour-ism Department as a factor in helping him deal with people and visitors.

Mayor Leonardia was president of the Student Council when he was studying Law at the University of Negros Occidental. he had specifically included a provision that said the chairman of the Masskara Foundation should not hold an elective position. Later on, Mayor Leonardia would come to the realization that the kind of involvement he had with the Masskara Festival was something that he was inclined to do.

Tanduay Rum Festival Court Painting

Held from Aug. 17 to 24, the week-long event is the first of its kind in the country. Known as the Tanduay Rum Festival, the event paid homage to the humble sugarcane as well as celebrated the Filipinos’ skill in the visual arts, culinary arts, mixology, dance, and music. For eight days, Bacolodnons participated in the Barrel Art Painting contest, basketball court painting, Culinaria and Mixology competitions, 5K Rum Run, float parade, street dance contest, and a concert headlined by iconic rock band Sandwich.

The Rum Festival was staged after an ordinance was passed declaring the third week of August as the date for holding the Rum Festival. In the ordinance, its author, former City Councilor Em Legaspi-Ang cited how Bacolod has been dubbed as the “Sugar Capital of the Philippines” and is the “home of the world’s largest selling rum.”

The Rum Festival joins Bacolod’s major festivals that include the Masskara Festival in October, the Bacolaodiat in January, Diwali in November, Chicken Inasal in May, and Halandumon in June.

Hosting festivals is not something new for Mayor Leonardia, who has been involved with the initial staging of the Masskara Festival—Bacolod’s most popular cultural celebration. He used to head the Masskara Foundation, and he has also worked for the Department of Tourism before running for public office after the EDSA Revolution.

Bacolod Trains the Spotlight on Rum-Making in Upcoming Festival

“We are proud to have our city associated with the sugarcane as this humble plant has produced many of the country’s world-class products. Negros is already known for being one of the sugar centers of the Philippines. Now, we also want to promote the city as the place where our proudly Philippine-made rum products are made.” ~Em Ang, Former Bacolod City Councilor

The upcoming Tanduay Rum Festival in Bacolod, a weeklong celebration that seeks to highlight the sugarcane industry and Filipino excellence in different fields - from culinary arts and mixology to visual arts, music, and dance. 

Just as wineries flourished in the Napa Valley, so did sugarcane plantations in Negros. And just as wine-making became a prominent industry in that region of California, so did rum-making in the city of Bacolod. Tanduay, which has been hailed as the world’s number one rum for the second straight year, celebrates the source of its world-class product the sugarcanes of the island. 

“The Tanduay Rum Festival is going to be a big celebration. We want people to join us as we raise a glass to rum-making and the Filipino talent and craftsmanship not just in Bacolod, but in the entire country.” ~Paul Lim, Tanduay Chief Marketing Officer

Prior to the week of the Rum Festival, Tanduay will hold a Barrel Art Painting Competition in Robinsons Place, Bacolod. The barrels will be on display during an exhibit at Robinsons. Join the Barrel Painting competition for the upcoming Rum Festival. Win amazing cash prizes and gifts, but most of all, take this chance to spend a fun time with fellow artists to celebrate creativity.

During the week-long event, an open kitchen and mixology contest will take place on Aug. 17 (Saturday) at the New Government Center (NGC) Grounds. It will also be the start of a weeklong food bazaar at the NGC. On Aug. 23, rapper Mike Swift will be bringing his team of artists to collaborate with local artists of Bacolod in painting a basketball court. 

On Aug. 24, the last day of the event, several activities will ensue. They include a street dance parade and contest, a 5k Rum Run, and a concert featuring artists from Bacolod and Raymond Marasigan’s Sandwich band. 

Sponsored by Tanduay, the Rum Festival will run from August 17 to 24. During the event, the organizers aim to highlight the importance of the sugarcane in its history as well as give a toast to the talent and skill of Filipinos.

For inquiries on how you can join the Tanduay Rum Festival activities and contests, send an email to events@eggshell.ph. You can also visit the Tanduay Rum Festival Facebook Page for updates.