TANDUAY is relying on the more than 90 years of history of the Spanish brandy, Torres Brandy that they are distributing this year.
Torres, which was founded in 1928, arrived here on a distribution deal with spirits giant Tanduay, which is already 172 years old.
“The arrival of Torres in the Philippines marks the arrival of two great houses that are united by a shared commitment to excellence and growth. This partnership reflects our vision to provide world-class spirits to Filipino consumers,” Tanduay Chairman and CEO Lucio Tan III said in a statement.
Its first product in the Philippines, the Torres 5 Lite, was launched on January 27 in Quezon City. According to Christian Visalli, global managing director of Torres Spirits, the launch of more premium lines – Torres 10, Torres 10 Double Barrel, Torres 20 and Jaime I – is forthcoming, although through other channels aside from Torres 5 Light, which will be sold in supermarkets.
“We chose the Philippine market because it is the largest brandy market in the world,” Mr. Visalli said in an interview. businessworld. an article in spirits business (“The World's Top 10 Largest Brandy Markets,” Amy Hopkins, 2014) places the Philippines at number 2 with 287.9 million liters. “With Tanduay’s strength in distribution, we believe we can really achieve a successful outcome here,” Mr. Visalli said.
Bottled at 25% ABV, according to a company statement, and crafted from quality grapes and aged using the solera method in oak barrels, it has a clear-medium-golden body with delicate aromas of grapefruit, dried fruit and vanilla, and a smooth, subtly sweet flavor featuring notes of prune, grapefruit and vanilla. For us, it was aromatic, fruity and an easy drink.
Tanduay's international business development manager Roy Christopher Sumang confirmed that several years ago, Tanduay had a brandy brand called Companero, which is now discontinued. “What we have partnered with is a brand that has premiumness; there is no need to build the brand from scratch,” he said. “They already have the storytelling ability, they have the legacy, the potential – and they have a good brand.”
“We don’t want to compete at that price position,” Mr. Sumang said on Emperador Inc.’s similar product, Emperador Light, which retails for a little less than P200 at 750 ml. Torres will cost around P320 to P350. “They're going for a little luxury, but not so much that you spend up to P1,000,” he said of Torres, a mix of English and Filipino.
An article by SGX Group, Singapore Exchange, (“Emperador Inc. – Philippines' largest global liquor company – debuts on SGX,” 2022) states that Emperador Inc. has “82.3% market share among all local and imported brandies in the Philippines.”
Torres' family has been in the liquor business since 16th century, focusing on vineyards and wines (in the 1870s). Brandy making began in 1928 with one of its descendants, Juan Torres Casals. Speaking about the legacy behind Torres, Mr. Sumang said, “[What is] Authenticity is important for us. “We want to tell a story that makes people believe we have a good brand that they want to trust.” — Joseph L. Garcia