Philippine’s Very Own Tanduay, World’s No. 1 Rum

A Filipino brand made it to no. 1, a Philippine-made liquor brand has been ranked the top-selling rum by global spirits think tank Drinks International. Tanduay has taken over the number one spot from a list of international rum brands that has long been dominated by Bacardi.

In a report released by Drinks International, the “definitive ranking of the world’s million-case rum brands”, citing Tanduay as the new industry leader followed by Bacardi and McDowell’s No. 1 Celebration.

“Our distinctly Filipino rum is now the world’s number one…We have a great product to offer the world and the world recognized it,” said Lucio “Bong” K. Tan, Jr., president and chief executive officer of Tanduay Distillers, Inc.

Tan Jr., who actively took the helm the as chief operating officer of the company in 2014, has been credited for the disruptive changes within the company that led to explorations of new markets abroad and new market approaches locally to bring the brand closer to younger product consumers.

“Only a visionary like my father, Dr. Lucio Tan, saw this when he acquired Tanduay from the Elizaldes in 1988. At a time considered very volatile for any business investment in the country, my father held on to the belief that someday the world will know Tanduay,” added Tan Jr.

In another statement from Tanduay’s Paul Lim, the company embarked on a brand refresh which is more apt for today’s market since the younger Tan took over.

“We were the first to implement a nationwide music marketing campaign that brought Tanduay to a younger market. We were also the first local liquor brand to sponsor an NBA Team – the Golden State Warriors. We continue to push further as we ride along an ever changing market landscape now dominated by health-conscious, athleisure-loving millennials with the launch of Tanduay Athletics and a sponsorship of the Century Tuna Superbods. Both projects contributing a premium to Tanduay’s brand equity,” he related, citing some of the marketing innovations that led to Tanduay becoming the world’s number one rum.