PH Products Proudly Featured in National Day Reception Held in Commemoration of Philippines’ 124^th Anniversary of Independence  

STOCKHOLM, 15 June 2022 – For its celebration of the 124^th Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence on 08 June 2022 at the Historiska Museet, the Philippine Embassy in Stockholm used the occasion to feature not only outstanding Philippine talents and artists but also to feature Philippine products. The featured products included the following:

Don Papa Rum – a premium-aged, single-island Philippine rum that is made from sugar cane harvested from the foothills of Mt. Kanlaon in the province of Negros Occidental. With the province’s nickname of “Sugarlandia”, the sugar cane used for the production of the rum produces sweet and rich molasses. 

The name “Don Papa” is a tribute to Dionisio Magbuelas, better known by his nom de guerre “Papa Isio”, who led a group of Filipino shamans in driving away the Spanish conquistadores from Negros Occidental, during the Philippine Revolution in 1898. 

Don Papa has three available products now sold in Sweden’s Systembolaget, the government-owned chain of liquor stores, and the only outlet for selling alcoholic drinks in Sweden. These include:

• Don Papa Rum– a 7-year-old, light-amber coloured rum with a light and fruity smell. The rum is described as smoothand delicate to the taste, and has a long-textured finish. 
• Don Papa Baroko– an amber-coloured variety with a scent often described as wonderfully bold, with strong notes of vanilla and a touch of citrus and sweet oak. Drinkers will recognise it for its smooth and full-bodied taste with wonderful notes of vanilla, honey, and candied fruit. It has a long and powerful finish with a hint of spicy oak. 
• Don Papa Sherry Cask– a 5.5-year old rum, which is described as having a fruity and nutty smell. The rum is light amber in colour with hints of red. It has a rich and fruity, dry taste with a velvety texture. Its finish is described as long and smooth.

To know more about the product, you may visit Don Papa’s website at: https://www.donpaparum.com/.

Archipelago “ARC” Gin – a product of Philippine company, Full Circle Craft Distillers, whose expertise in gin-making traces back to Master Distiller Peter Westfall.

The company was recognised as the Philippines Distillery of the Year during the 2018 Asia International Spirits Competition in Hong Kong. Its gin products have also won several awards, including: Gold Medal at the 2019 World Gin Awards in London; Gold Medal at the 2019 SIP Awards in the United States; Silver Medal at the 2019 World Spirits Awards in Austria; Silver Medal at the Best of Category at the 2019 ADI Judging of Craft Spirits in the United States; and Silver Medal at the 2019 San Francisco International Spirits Competition. 

ARC gin was also featured at the recently concluded World Gin Day 2022, Sweden’s first and only International Gin festival held on 11 June 2022. 

ARC gin is one of the newer spirits approved for distribution through Systembolaget, having been approved only in the 2^nd quarter of 2022. Sweden’s Dica Vin & Spirits serves as the distributor of ARC in the region.

All types of ARC gin are available at Sweden’s Systembolaget.

These include the following:

• Archipelago Botanical Gin– One of Full Circle Craft Distiller’s flagship gin spirits, it makes use of ingredients that are mostly found in the Philippines, including fresh pomelo, dalandan, calamansi, dayap, mango, Benguet pine, sampaguita, ylang-ylang, and kamia flowers. Its taste bursts of the different fresh flavours and it has a clean and balanced finish, with hints of juniper, citrus. 
• Archipelago Barrel Reserve Gin– another flagship gin spirit that is rested in new American oak barrels with a medium long toast (Burgundy Style). It smells of citrus, cinnamon, and cardamom with a hint of spicy, peppery notes. The gin is described as a rich, complex taste of juniper, citrus, oak, and vanilla, with pomelo and floral notes. 
• Archipelago Lava Rock Vodka – is considered an extremely smooth, crisp, and clean spirit that serves as a testament to Full Circle Craft Distiller’s artisanal process for distillation. The vodka is filtered naturally over lava rocks that come from Philippine volcanoes – Taal and Mayon. The vodka has a fresh and clean taste, which finishes with a hint of soft vanilla, grain, and caramel.

To find out more about ARC gin, you may visit https://fullcircledistillers.com/.

Destileria Limtuaco Craft Spirits – Destileria Limtuaco & Co. Inc. was established in the Philippines in 1850s by Chinese immigrant, Lim Tua Co.  The company has been managed since the 1990s by Ms. Olivia Limpe-Aw.

The products are yet to enter Systembolaget. However, the Embassy decided to showcase the following craft spirits to introduce it to the public: 

• Amadeo Coffee Liqueur– an all-natural coffee liqueur that makes use of four Philippine coffee beans – Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, and Excelsa (which is locally known as “Barako”). The name “Amadeo” comes from the municipality Amadeo, Cavite, which is known as the Coffee Capital of the Philippines. It is ideal for coffee lovers. 
• Manille Liqueur De Dalandan– is a liqueur made with the rinds Philippine Orange or dalandanin the local tongue in a vodka base. The liqueur does not use any additional flavouring, resulting in an all-natural taste of citrus, with the essence of orange and lime. 
• Manille Liqueur De Calamansi– made with all-natural rinds of the Philippine lime or calamansi, which creates an intense citrus aroma in a vodka base. It is said to be a perfect digestif or to cleanse the palate between courses, as it can be chilled or served on the rocks.

The Embassy also distributed food items in a custom-made giveaway bags to guests, which included the following items: Philippine dried mangoes; crispy pili nuts, bespoke chocolates, and promotional materials on Philippine tourism. END

Philippine Ambassador to Sweden Maria Lumen B. Isleta (center) poses with Mr. Dan Dicander and Mr. Tony Dicander, co-owners of Dica Vin & Spirits, the distributor of Arc Gin in Sweden.  (Stockholm PE photo)

Ms. Clemencia Widlund of the Embassy’s PTIC office (rightmost) poses with Dan and Tony Dicander, and members of the FilCom Ms. Aya Askert (leftmost) and Ms. Mary Borromeo Hedfors (center). (Stockholm PE photo)

Destileria Limtauco’s craft spirits as presented during the Embassy of the Philippines in Sweden’s National Day Reception. (Stockholm PE photo)

Delectable goodies inside each bag. (Stockholm PE photo)

Custom-made giveaway bags by Claire’s Handicrafts (https://clairehandicrafts.com).

Bespoke chocolates by Manila Chocolatier (https://www.facebook.com/ilovemanilachocolatier/).

For more information, https://stockholmpe.dfa.gov.ph/.