Tanduay’s New TVC is a Salute to Friends Who Keep Us Sane

Friends make everything seem light. 

Tanduay’s latest TVC, “All Light Lang”, is not only fun to watch but it also reminds us of the value of having friends around especially during these extraordinary times. 

In the opening of the TVC, the main character is seen singing to the tune of Gloc9's “Simpleng Tao” and the different stresses that he has to deal with everyday -- from tech problems, to paying a lot of bills, to never ending household chores. Despite all of these, he is able to end his day with a smile because his friends are there for him.

“Masakit sa ulo, pero light lang tayo,” his friends sing to him as they unwind and share a drink of Tanduay Light.

Marc Ngo, International Development Manager and Senior Brand Manager at Tanduay, shared that during the concept development for the Tanduay Light TVC the brand direction was to convey the experience the product brings.

“We want a material that will make viewers feel happy. With everything that’s happening now with the pandemic, we just wanted to share a good laugh, a great drink, and a fun experience. For a moment, we want the viewers to set aside the negativity and focus on a light moment shared with friends.” ~Marc Ngo, International Development Manager and Senior Brand Manager at Tanduay

As the song further cites, “Ang nagpapagaan ng lahat ng ito – ang tropa ko.” 

The TVC has a fitting ending and a reminder that things are going to be easier if only we will reach out. The final copy states, “Gaan ng may kasama”.

Tanduay Wins Big in China’s Top Wines and Spirits Tilt

Tanduay Wins Big in China’s Top Wines and Spirits Tilt

The international award-giving body is committed to selecting the best quality and most cost-effective wines for the Chinese market and promoting them to buyers across the country. With their premium and unique taste, Tanduay rums continue to be recognized by leading international wines and spirits award-giving bodies. Most recently, two of its rum products bagged top honors in the largest and most influential wines and spirits competition in China—the G100 International Wine & Spirits Awards.

Tanduay Wins Big in China’s Top Wines and Spirits Tilt

Tanduay Double Rum was awarded a gold award and Tanduay Rum Gold received a silver award in the competition, which is committed to selecting the best quality and most cost-effective wines for the Chinese market and promoting them to buyers across the country. 

Tanduay Wins Big in China’s Top Wines and Spirits Tilt

“This is a huge honor coming from one of China’s most prestigious awards. We are ex-tremely grateful for the recognition and will continue to work hard to provide our con-sumers with only the best products.” ~Paul Lim, Tanduay Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing

Tanduay Double Rum is one of Tanduay’s most internationally-awarded products. This sipping rum belongs to the cognac level of spirits. It is a blend of two aged reserves (16-year-old rum and 5-year-old rum) that are further aged in the barrel for another two years. Produced in small batches, it has a minimum run of only 5,000 bottles per pro-duction—a truly premium product.

Tanduay Wins Big in China’s Top Wines and Spirits Tilt

Tanduay Wins Big in China’s Top Wines and Spirits Tilt

The Tanduay Rum Gold is also one of Tanduay’s most awarded products. It has received  7 Monde Selection International medals and has also won Gold in the International Review of Spirits and a Silver in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2018, among others.

Earlier in the year, Tanduay was declared the World’s Number One Rum by Drinks International magazine for the third consecutive year.

Tanduay Rhum to Number 1 Spot Anew

Tanduay Asian Rum Gold topped the list with a gold medal. Silver medals, meanwhile, were awarded to Tanduay Asian Rum Silver and Boracay Cappuccino Flavored Rum. Tanduay Double Rum and Boracay Coconut Flavored Rum both received bronze medals. Tanduay has maintained its leadership position in the industry, it has been declared the World's Number 1 Rum for the third consecutive year. International partnerships and global expansion contributed to the increase in global sales.

Early this year, Tanduay‘s international partnerships and global expansion bolstered its worldwide sales, making it the world’s top-selling rum for the third consecutive year. Tanduay won five medals from the Beverage Testing Institute. 

“Being declared the World’s Number 1 Rum for the third year is an achievement not just for Tanduay but for the entire country as our products are proudly Philippine-made using materials sourced locally. We celebrate this feast with our fellow Filipinos and we thank our international partners who have helped us market Tanduay globally. At present, we are working toward bringing Tanduay to Europe as rhum sales in the region outstripped gin. The value of rhum in Europe is growing faster than volume, which is very encouraging because that suggests premiumisation leading the industry to long-term growth prospects. Nowadays, drinkers have a more developed taste when it comes to their drink of choice. Aside from rhum, we are also exploring other spirit categories to supply markets here and abroad.” ~Paul Lim, Tanduay Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing 

The liquor firm is currently working on expanding its product portfolio for both local and international markets. It was in 2018 that Tanduay first dislodged rival Bacardi and other known brands to hold the top spot.

Tanduay‘s international partnerships and global expansion bolstered its worldwide sales, making it the world’s top-selling rum for the third consecutive year.

Tanduay Rhum sold 20.5 million cases in 2019, an increase from its 20.1 million cases in 2018, according to Drinks International magazine which hands out the awards.

“Once again, Philippine giant Tanduay has topped the rum chart, has continued its steady growth above the 20m-case threshold. The brand branched out into Singapore and US territory Guam while, at the same time, nourishing its vast domestic market…”

Tanduay is currently working on expanding its product portfolio for both local and international markets.

Tanduay products are currently available in:

• Florida
• New York
• New Jersey
• Illinois
• California
• Wisconsin
• Tennessee
• Michigan
• Guam in the U.S

And will be available in:

• Hawaii
• Indiana
• Nevada
• Minnesota

The company has also successfully entered the markets of:

• China
• United Arab Emirates
• Singapore
• Australia

It was in 2018 that Tanduay first dislodged Bacardi on the top spot of the world’s number one rum list. The following year, the Filipino rum maintained its leadership against 153 other brands in the category. 

TKB by Tanduay Celebrates the Holiday Season with Free Shots for Diners of Five

For the entire month of December, TKB by Tanduay offers a free flight (four shots) for diners of five.

“We always come up with seasonal selections and since this month is all about celebrating and merry-making for us Filipinos, we have chosen to reward our diners with our TKB shots. They can choose whatever flavor they want. This is why we have partnered with Tanduay, a truly Filipino brand. Through this partnership, we were able to create unique offerings such as our rum-infused food and drink selections. Japanese and Filipinos share the same love for good food and drinks. And here at TKB by Tanduay, we want to celebrate that.” ~Karen Roque, TKB by Tanduay General Manager 

Drop by TKB stands for The Kushi Bar by Tanduay in Ayala Avenue, Makati City. If you’re looking for a place to hang out and enjoy authentic Japanese food infused with rum and a wide selection of cocktails you won’t find anywhere else with friends and colleagues this holiday season. TKB offers shots, deliciously-flavored cocktails infused with Tan-duay Dark and Premium White Rum.

The TKB shots selection includes the Aomori (apple wasabi), Tokushima (ginger calamansi), Kumamoto (watermelon basil), Miyazaki (cucumber basil), Nagano (lemon apricot), Ehime (green apple and kiwi), and their newly-introduced rambutan rum-infused shot.

The Kushi Bar, and it specializes in kushi (skewered) selections creat-ed by Japanese chef Yuri Amami, the first female Japanese chef in the Philippines. Roque recommends that diners enjoy them along with their kushi selections, which now have items using ingredients that are popular with Filipino diners.

We Filipinos are such enthusiasts for Barbecues or anything fried, grilled, or steamed as long as it’s on a stick. Japan also has its version of the ever-so-popular “BBQ” and they call it “Kushi”. These kushi selections are meant to be enjoyed plate after plate—just like how Filipinos dine, its taste will remind you of Filipino BBQ but with a Japanese touch. Kushi is the skewers Japanese use to hold or pierce their food, either made of steel, bamboo or wood.  All reasonably priced.

• Gyubara (beef tenderloin)
• Reba (chicken liver)
• Hotate (scallop)
• Hatsu (chicken heart)

Roque shares that the idea behind TKB by Tanduay is to promote Filipino dining through Japanese food. This is what makes the restaurant different from other Japanese dining concepts in the country. TKB by Tanduay likewise supports Filipino farming as it sources most of its ingredients from local farmers. The restaurant also uses organic ingredients, and its coffee is 100% Philippine-made.

Invite your friends, your family and even your loved one and enjoy a dine-in evening with a  shot of Tanduay.

Tanduay's Inernational Expansion in Guam

“We believe that the brand will grow in the state of Guam having a lot of Filipinos residing in that state who's familiar with the brand, and the locals of Guam themselves who’re looking for quality products.” ~Paul Lim, Tanduay Senior Vice President for Marketing

Tanduay, the world’s number one rum according to Drinks International, continues its aggressive international expansion. Most recently, the 165-year-old Filipino brand partnered with one of Guam’s leading spirits distributor, TITAN Imports, for its distribution in the U.S. territory.

The event included a brand education seminar conducted by Tanduay Business Development Manager and TITAN managing director John Antenorcruz.

A bartending competition followed, where contestants where challenged to create drinks using Tanduay Dark Rum, Tanduay Asian Rum Gold, and Guam’s freshest ingredients.

A cocktail event was also held in another venue, The Atrio, to celebrate the distribution deal with F&B directors, restaurant managers, hotel owners, and business decision-makers in attendance. They were provided with entertainment along with specialty drinks and exciting prizes from Tanduay.

For the past three years, Tanduay has been aggressive in opening new markets for its quality rums in countries outside of the Philippines. In 2018, its volume in the US grew by 114% year-on-year, from the first half of 2018 versus the first half of 2017.

Its overall product sales grew by 3% in 2018 from 2017, making it the world’s best-selling rum for two years running. According to Drinks International, Tanduay 20.1 million 9-liter cases in 2018. It is the only rum brand to reach the 20 million mark for that year.

Tanduay’s Rum Fest Joins the Roster of Major Festivals in Bacolod

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 City of Smiles 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.

“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

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.

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 ini-tial 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.

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.

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.

Tanduay Now Available in Singapore, Partners with Octopus Distribution

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.

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.

“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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

“Sustainable” Future of LT Group from Mr. Tan Jr.

Lucio K. Tan, Jr., president, and chief operating officer, Tanduay Distillers Inc.

Lucio K. Tan Jr. gave a glimpse of the sustainable future that the companies under the Lucio Tan (LT) Group will undertake and emphasized the need to develop clean and renewable energy projects during the company’s recent year-end gathering. 

In his customary year-end message, Tan Jr. encouraged his company executives to develop an ability to “go on offensive business mode” to adapt to a changing world advocating technologies that are environmentally-responsible and help ease the impacts of climate change. 

“Our thrust is to participate and develop clean and renewable energy projects for our sustainability...reduce our carbon footprint to underscore our commitment to help mitigate the effects of climate change. I believe this is incumbent upon us as a responsible corporate entity, where we can invest in technologies that will unravel economic opportunities for the group and our employees,” said the president and COO of Tanduay Distillers. 

The younger Tan revealed the revival of Asian Alcohol Corp. next year. It can be recalled that the operation of the Bacolod-based facility was temporarily suspended eight years ago. 

“Kapitan (Lucio Tan Sr.) made a strategic move to take one step backward in the hope of moving forward, a strategy that teaches us how to realize our future by our sacrifices of today. Next year, Asian Alcohol will begin its biofuel production. Like Absolut Distillers, it will blaze new paths and return to its old glory,” he divulged.

Lucio K. Tan, Jr., president and chief operating officer, Tanduay Distillers Inc.

Located in a 10-hectare plant, Asian Alcohol Corp. was the second largest distillery in the Philippines. The plant houses alcohol aging and wastewater treatment facilities, which converts distillery waste into biogas energy for its power requirements. It used to have a daily rated capacity of 210, 000 liters of quality ethyl alcohol.

With this development, Tan Jr. said, Asian Alcohol Corp. is expected to be patterned after the success of Absolut Distillers Inc. in Batangas, which has made more than Php880M from its bioethanol operations since 2015. 

On the other hand, he also revealed, Absolut Distillers has commissioned a six-effect evaporator as part of its continuous improvement and wastewater treatment upgrade. Next year, a pot still distillery will be added to its operation together with a small mill.

He also divulged that one of the companies under the group, Macroasia, will be going into "full blast" next year. 

Tan Jr. recalled the hardwork and dedication of his father Lucio C. Tan, who is the man behind the success of the companies under the LT Group, but stressed the need to “deliver the future of the Group.” 

“Our thrust is to participate and develop clean and renewable energy projects for our sustainability...reduce our carbon footprint to underscore our commitment to help mitigate the effects of climate change. I believe this is incumbent upon us as a responsible corporate entity, where we can invest in technologies that will unravel economic opportunities for the group and our employees. Kapitan (Lucio Tan Sr.) made a strategic move to take one step backward in the hope of moving forward, a strategy that teaches us how to realize our future by our sacrifices of today. Next year, Asian Alcohol will begin its biofuel production. Like Absolut Distillers, it will blaze new paths and return to its old glory. I cannot wait to find out how we will fare against the best of the best. Tanduay will grow its assets to compete and be even more relevant in the liquor industry. Macroasia is going full blast with our thrust to address the future of water…our Chairman (Lucio Tan Sr.) has already been building dams to compliment the farmers with their harvest up north. We are now investing more in this valuable liquid. I believe that the world opens up to those who know where they are going,” he said, adding that, “So, let us, as one company, stay focused, and get this dream going towards our goals.” ~Mr. Lucio K. Tan, Jr., President, and Chief Operating Officer, Tanduay Distillers Inc.

For Tanduay Distillers, according to him, this coming year, the company is expected to sell 20 million cases. Part of the growth plans is Tanduay’s more aggressive operations in pursuing the Luzon market and continued exploration of markets outside the country.