| Photo via Tanduay Distillers
NEWARK, NJ — Tanduay, the Philippines’s leading rum brand, has partnered with Allied Beverage Group (ABG) LLC as a distributor of its award-winning rums to grow its market in New Jersey.
ABG is New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive wine and spirits distributor and is among the ten largest distributors in the United States. It is a family-owned company created by the mergers of The Baxter Group, Inc., F&A Distributing Company, and The Jaydor Corporation and the August 2017 consolidation with Breakthru Beverage New Jersey.
In exploring growth opportunities, Mark Ngo, Tanduay International Business Development Manager and Senior Brand Manager said, “Their goal is to establish a presence in the local spirits scene and bring the Tanduay drinking experience to the culturally diverse state.”
Added Ngo: “By partnering with ABG, we are confident that the brand will reach more customers.
READ: Tanduay’s award-winning rums are now available in Georgia
As of 2021, Tanduay Distillers, Inc. is the world’s largest rum brand. Its legacy continues, and Tanduay Asian Rum remains an intriguing spirit, celebrated for its silky smoothness and elegant flavor, reflecting the essence of the mysterious East.
Tanduay traces its roots to a distillery in Hagonoy, Bulacan, initially owned by Elías Menchatorre. 185, Valentin Teus e Yrisarry acquired the distillery and merged it into Ynchausti y Compañía.
The original Tanduay distillery was established in Isla de Tanduay, bordering the Quiapo and San Miguel districts of Manila.
The Ynchausti family crest still graces every bottle of Tanduay.
Sara Harmelin, VP for Portfolio Development at ABG, said New Jersey has a very competitive but good rum market that is diverse, dense, and affluent.
“New Jersey ranks in the top five liquor markets. There are 9.3 million people in the third smallest state by square mileage and most reside in the suburban areas outside of New York City and Philadelphia. It is the third most affluent and fourth most diverse per capita, which gives us a lot of opportunities across categories and price ranges,” she said.
Premium Rums for Sipping and Cocktails
In addition, Hamerlin shared that Tanduay gives ABC a premium option that blurs the line between cocktail bases and sipping rums.
“We carry rums across the spectrum, but few portfolios offer speed-rack and sipping options in one. We’ve been waiting for rum to take off and feel that Tanduay is another step in that direction,” she said.
With Tanduay, ABG can now offer a premium and accessible rum that the world knows about.
According to Hamerlin, New Jersey has a diverse Hispanic population led by Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Central American immigrants and descendants who are always looking for a rum that speaks to them.
“There is ample opportunity to grow this category across nightclubs and on premise accounts with the help of a great brand like Tanduay,” Harmelin said. At the same time, ABG wants to offer the nearly 200,000 Filipinos who live in New Jersey a taste of home.
“We are very excited to work with the world’s most popular rum. We are trying to diversify our portfolio to reflect the global nature of New Jersey’s consumers,” Harmelin said.
As Tanduay celebrates its 170th founding anniversary this year, the brand continues expanding its international business and growing its local portfolio.
“We hope to enter more rum markets in the coming months and introduce our proudly Philippine-made rums to people across the globe,” Ngo said.
Tanduay”s rich history
Founded in 1854, Tanduay remains one of the country’s most popular and awarded spirits brands. It is the only Filipino rum to be named the World’s Number 1 Rum for six consecutive years by Drinks International Magazine. For eight years, it has also received the Brand of the Year Award from the London-based World Branding Awards.
Tanduay traces its roots to a distillery in Hagonoy, Bulacan, initially owned by Elías Menchatorren 186; Valentin Teus e Yrisarry acquired the distillery and merged it into Ynchausti y Compañía.
The original Tanduay distillery was established in Isla de Tanduay, bordering the Quiapo and San Miguel districts of Manila. The Ynchausti family crest still graces every bottle of Tanduay. In 1934, it was passed to Elizabelde & Company, and the distillery operated as Tanduay Distillery, Inc., producing quality alcohol for domestic and international markets.
Later, in 1988, Lucio Tan’s Twin Ace Holdings Corporation acquired the Tanduay trademark and related assets from Elizalde & Company, forming Tanduay Distillers, Inc.
Tanduay Rum Markets
Apart from New Jersey, Tanduay is present in several states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, and Indiana. Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.
As of this writing, it is also available outside of the Philippines in Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Costa Rica, France, Georgia, Germany, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Poland, Qatar, Singapore, Taiwan, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.
