Vancouver, B.C. – Leading Philippine rum brand Tanduay has partnered with distributor Christopher Stewart Wine & Spirits to make its award-winning products available in the Canadian market.
“Our distribution in Canada will be in the whole country. We are already in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan and working on getting tenders on the government-controlled provinces like Ontario and Quebec,” said Marc Ngo, Tanduay International Business Development Manager and Senior Brand Manager.
Ngo said they have partnered with Christopher Stewart Wine & Spirits for Tanduay’s Canadian expansion because they provided the best strategies to move Tanduay in Canada.
“They have sales teams for almost every province in Canada, which gives Tanduay the best possible opportunities to be present in every province,” he added.
Launch Event with Sam Miller
For its Canadian launch, Tanduay presented a Sam Miller Guest Shift at the H Tasting Lounge last October 5. Miller is one of the leading names in bar-tending whose passion is the world of rum. He found his way behind the bar during college and has been tending for 13 years.
It was while he was working at Zombie Village in San Francisco that he first learned about Tanduay. They used its rums in five of their cocktail menus.
“They don’t add any sugar or other additives to the aged rums after distillation. Everything is in the bottle. It’s all a natural process,” he said.
Tanduay makes its rums in the Philippines using quality sugarcane sourced from the country’s leading sugarcane-producing regions. Extracted Grade A molasses from these crops then undergo a refining process. They are then fermented and turned into liquid ready for distillation.
The brand owns an arsenal of oak barrels, which it uses to age its rums. Aging alcohol in these barrels transforms their flavor and complexity. The Philippines’ tropical climate further enhances them.
Miller shared that his favorite is the Tanduay Double Rum, which he said is very bold and evenly balanced. “It’s the perfectly aged rum,” he pointed out. He considers the Tanduay Asian Rum Gold, meanwhile, as one of the easiest mixing rums.
Apart from the event with Miller, Tanduay also hosted an Industry Masterclass and Blackbox Cocktail Competition as part of its Canadian launch. The event was held at The Permanent last October 4. Later that day, the brand held a launch party at Lunch Lady where they served Filipino cuisine along with Tanduay cocktails.
There Is a Tanduay Rum for Everybody
Tyler MacKenzie, Brand Manager of Christopher Stewart Wine & Spirits, noted that each Tanduay rum has great balance, structure, and character, so the portfolio easily appeals to a wide variety of tastes. Like Miller, he likes the Tanduay Double Rum the most for its complexity and extra barrel age.
“Rum doesn’t only come from the Caribbean islands. The Philippines have a long history of rum production and have an ideal climate for excellent rums,” he said.
Tanduay was named the World’s Number 1 Rum for six consecutive years, outselling rum brands from other countries.
MacKenzie said that Canada’s rum market is very vigorous and there’s a lot of opportunity for growth for Tanduay.
“The quality and the marketing behind the brand are strong. It will take us time to get across the country, but we will get there,” he added.
As of this writing, the Tanduay rums that are available in Canada are the Tanduay Asian Rum Gold, Tanduay Asian Rum Silver, Tanduay Double Rum, Boracay Rum Coconut, and Boracay Rum Cappuccino.
“We are already in the works in bringing our full range, which includes Especia Spiced Rum, Tanduay Rum Amber, and Tanduay Rum White to the country by 2024,” Ngo said.
