Change comes in a bottle

MANILA, Philippines – It can be said that Benjamin Agaloos has a pretty sweet life.

Fondly referred to as Mang Ben, he began working for Tanduay Distillery as a bottle washer in 1953 when he was only 15 years old. He worked his way up until he became a filling operator, the last position he held in the company in 1973. He was then elected president of the distillery’s labor union and coordinated closely with Tanduay’s workers until 2013.

It is almost a lifetime spent with sugar canes and the potent bottled liquor it produces. Mang Ben is one of the few individuals privy to the nuances and notes of excellent rum that can only be honed by acute senses and the passing of years.

Recognized as a veritable institution in the company where he has worked for most of his life, the 79-year-old Mang Ben still cleans up very well and is very proud of what he has achieved with Tanduay. With his clothes neatly pressed, his hair combed, and with a wide grin on his face, he declares that the Philippines has one of the best tasting rums in the entire world.

The heritage, the legacy

That world-class rum is produced, farm to bottle, in the Tanduay plant in Negros Occidental. This is where sugar cane is harvested, ground, fermented, distilled and aged; this is also where the actual liquor is bottled, labelled and shipped out across the country.

This is where your rum comes from, Mang Ben proudly says. Its taste and quality been maintained for over 150 years. It is truly a Filipino product in every sense.

Watch and listen to Mang Ben as he tells the story of how every bottle of rum is made. This is what Filipinos should be proud of, and this is the right time for the story to be told. – Rappler.com

For over 150 years, Tanduay has been producing world-class rum using only the finest quality sugarcane from the Philippines. Tanduay Asian Rum is a step above the usual with two variants made for the bold and sophisticated. Visit http://www.tanduayusa.com/#Discover to learn more.