EventsDestileria Limtuaco’s Bonifacio Rum: The quest for ‘suwabe’

Destileria Limtuaco’s Bonifacio Rum: The quest for ‘suwabe’

Heritage and excellence are the buzzwords for the latest product of the country’s oldest distillery

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Bonifacio Rum – White (lighter labels) and Bonifacio Rum – Legacy (darker label) fill the treasure chest at the bar area of the Spirits Library.

Filipino drinkers are one in extolling the virtues of a smooth glass of spirit that glides pleasingly on the tongue. For a long time, rum had to be mixed with everything from juice to cola to make it more appealing, and to mask the lack of smoothness and aftertastes.

Enter Aaron James Limpe Aw, sixth generation master blender of Destileria Limtuaco & Co., Inc. (DLCI), whose ancestors established this, the country’s oldest distillery, in 1852. In 2008, they acquired a reclaimed cognac pot still. Pot still distillation is an old, painstaking method that produces better quality rum, and which DLCI first used to blend other rum products.

Aaron Limpe-Aw discusses the production process of Bonifacio Philippine Pot Still Rum during the masterclass.
The signature cocktails crafted with different Bonifacio Rum variants. From left to right: Bonifacio Daiquiri, Bonifacio Highball, and Bonifacio Negroni.
Guests utilized liquor tasting mats to discern the unique palate of each Bonifacio Philippine Pot Still Rum Variants. From left to right: Bonifacio Rum – Aged, Bonifacio Rum –  White, and Bonifacio Rum – Legacy

In an interview with Spot.PH, Limpe-Aw recalls how the decision to shift to a more pure and authentic product was reinforced after he met a rum expert, who encouraged him to try to create a white rum. “We weren’t very confident at the time,” Limpe Aw told Spot.PH’s Patrica Baes. “Filipinos aren’t really used to it.” After tweaking and experimenting, however, they finally came up with their ideal, 55 percent proof brew: The flagship White variant of Bonifacio Rum was born, with the ideal smoothness they had been looking for.

Three of the Destileria Limtuaco executives with some of the respected professionals in the liquor industry. From left to right: Aaron Limpe-Aw, Executive Vice President  and the creator of Bonifacio Rum; Benny Aw, Senior Vice President for International Sales and Manufacturing; Ms. Olivia Limpe-Aw, President and CEO, and John Go of Intrinsic Spirits.
From left to right: Chef Jackie Laudico, Bryan Benitex McClelland (owner of Batala Bar), Chef Rolando Laudico, and Chef Dabo Pamplona

Last August 18, DLCI launched Bonifacio Rum at The Spirits Library in Makati, with bartenders, industry professionals, enthusiasts, and media in attendance. Still as a nod to the company’s storied history, Bonifacio Rum is named after DLCI’s founder, Don Bonifacio Limtuaco, and is the country’s first pure pot-distilled rum made from high-quality Philippine molasses, bringing with it “The Refined Taste of Heritage and Excellence.” In the apt words of Esquire Magazine’s Joel Donato Ching Jacob, “…Filipino rum—as represented by Bonifacio—carries the weight of our contested lands, our fragile climate, our workers in the fields of Batangas and Tarlac. To make rum is to cut cane, to boil molasses, to choose what to save from the still and what to discard, to know which parts might blind and which parts will illuminate. In every glass of Bonifacio, one tastes not only sweetness but struggle, not only smoothness but history.”

Frank Kona Shrope, Industry Consultant Kai Lapid
The guests enjoying the after party segment of the Bonifacio launch event. From left to right: Bryan Benitex McClelland (owner of Batala Bar), Chef Jackie Laudico, Brandon Jon Limpe-Aw (National Sales Supervisor of Convoy Marketing Corp.), Chef Rolando Laudico, Clifford Limpe-Aw (Chief Operations Officer of Convoy Marketing Corp.), Chef Dabo Pamplona, and Chef Kalel Demetrio
From left to right: Sean Matthew Lim, Co-owner of Three Dots Restobar;, Royce Pua, Beverage Consultant; and  John Go of Intrinsic Spirits

At the launch, Limpe Aw presided over a masterclass on what goes behind the creation of Bonifacio Rum. Guests were also guided through an enlightening tasting of the three Bonifacio Rum varieties: the original and unadulterated Bonifacio Philippine Pure Pot Still White Rum, with banana and cane sugar flavors; the oak-mellowed Bonifacio Aged Rum, spicy and smooth; and the balanced Bonifacio Philippine Pot Still Blend Legacy Rum, with hints of caramel and chocolate. This was followed with some mixology pointers, where Limpe Aw and DLCI’s Spirits team concocting a Bonifacio Daiquiri with the White Rum and highballs with the Legacy Rum.

Cocktail virtuoso Jimmy Munsayac served as the head bartender for the Bonifacio Launch after party.
Brandon Jon Limpe-Aw, National Sales Manager of Convoy Marketing Corp. with his friends Nicole Go and Sean Lao
Industry professionals savoring the specialty cocktails served during the Bonifacio Launch Party. From left to right: Joshua Azariah of HAKID, Carlos Munarriz of Quay Concepts Bar, and Deen Beeton of Cheshire Bar

“Tonight was about more than just a launch; it was about sharing a piece of our family’s legacy and our passion for true craftsmanship,” said Limpe Aw. “Bonifacio Rum is a testament to our enduring commitment to pot-still tradition and the rich resources of the Philippines.”

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