SIX BRITISH gin brands are looking for potential distribution partners in the Philippines, according to the British Chamber of Commerce Philippines (BCCP).
“Even though the UK may be famous for gin, the Philippines is also really becoming a place where quality gin is being made and distributed worldwide,” BCCP Vice Chairman Sarah McLeod told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of BCCP’s World Gin Day late on Thursday.
“I also know that people in the Philippines drink the most gin in the world,” she added.
An annual BCCP event, World Gin Day is staged every June to showcase gin brands from the Philippines and the UK.
“This year, we’ve got six brands here that are not available yet for distribution in the Philippines,” she said.
“So they’ve been shipped in specially for tonight for us to taste, and they’re looking for distributors in the country,” she added.
The gin brands are Cotswolds Distillery, G&I Spirit Group Ltd., Eight Lands, Masons of Yorkshire, Rock Rose Gin, and Spirit of Trent.
Jimmy Maes, sales manager for Asia at Dunnet Bay Distillers, the distillery that makes Rock Rose, said that the company is currently looking for importers in the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
“We are doing it slowly, but we do it good. We are already talking with some potential partners in Hong Kong and Singapore, and also Taiwan,” he added.
“Now, I will try to get in touch with some of them here in the Philippines. We are already in contact,” he said.
Asked how soon the brand can get into the Philippines, he said, “I believe that before the end of the year, there should be some movement with first orders.”
“It’s my job to really be the brand ambassador and to help the importer to make things happen. But it takes time. There are so many gins, so many whiskeys,” he added.
He said there is demand for high-end and specialty gins in some big cities in the Philippines.
“And that is what we also are… These types of gins are different. You don’t need to put juice with it. You drink it pure, or with tonic water, or just with ice, and then you have the flavor,” he said.
“I hope by the beginning of next year that there will be some things from Rock Rose on the market here,” he added. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
