Top distiller optimistic on long-term rum production in Negros

BACOLOD CITY – Tanduay Distillers Inc. (TDI), the main sponsor of the Bacolod Rum Festival, is upbeat on a long-term rum production in Negros Occidental, the site of its plant which supplies the world-class spirit in the Visayas.

"We're very happy with the way the Negrenses have responded to Tanduay. Throughout the years that we've been operating here, they have always been supportive. Negros is really a rum country," Nestor Mendones, TDI senior vice president and chief risk officer, said in an interview.

The Tanduay Negros Plant, located at the boundary of Bacolod City and Murcia town, employs more than 400.

The now 30-year-old distillery manufactures up to 55,000 cases of rum daily, including the Tanduay Five Years and three other products.

Molasses, the primary material in making rum, comes from the sugarcane farms of Negros Occidental, the country's top sugar-producing province.

"Negros and Iloilo are among the highest in terms of sales. That's why to us, Negros is very important strategically. We really ensure that we will always hold the number one position in Negros, that's part of our short as well as long-term plans," Mendones said.

The nine-day 4th Rum Festival, which ended Sunday, included a tour of the Tanduay Negros Plant for the first time and other diverse line-up of activities that celebrated Bacolod's vibrant culture and rum heritage.

The festival's maiden edition was held in 2019 after an ordinance was approved in April of the same year, declaring the third weekend of August as the date of the festivity.

After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bacolod Rum Festival returned in August 2022. (PNA)