Destileria Barako Corporation is a Filipino craft distillery specializing in premium spirits and liqueurs made with Philippine ingredients. Founded in 2016, the company is based in Malay, Aklan, and has developed a portfolio centered on Filipino flavors, indigenous ingredients, folklore, and contemporary craft-distilling techniques.

The company is particularly known for its Ube Cream Liqueur, which it markets as the world’s first ube cream liqueur, as well as its gin, vodka, and specialty liqueur collections. Its products have received recognition in international spirits competitions, helping position the company as one of the Philippine craft-distilling businesses seeking to bring distinctly Filipino flavors to international markets.

Destileria Barako was established in 2016 with the stated objective of showcasing Philippine flavors and cultural heritage through distilled spirits. The company’s founders drew on international distilling experience while focusing on ingredients that are native to or strongly associated with the Philippines.

According to an interview with director Tyson Branz, the decision to establish a distillery in the Philippines was influenced by the country’s abundance of agricultural products and the opportunity to raise the profile of locally produced spirits. Before establishing the Philippine operation, Branz and head distiller Brendan Green had been involved with a distillery in Australia.

The company subsequently developed a small-batch craft-distilling model combining internationally trained distillers with locally sourced ingredients. Its products have increasingly incorporated flavors associated with different Philippine regions, including ube, sugar cane, muscovado, sea salt, citrus, fruits, flowers, herbs, and indigenous botanicals. 1

The company’s registered name is Destileria Barako Corporation. A Philippine corporate-information database lists its Securities and Exchange Commission registration number as CS201724360 and identifies it as a Philippine stock corporation. The company itself describes its establishment as 2016, while third-party corporate records list 2017 as the year of corporate establishment/registration, reflecting the distinction between the operating brand’s founding and its corporate registration. 2

Its principal distillery is located at Lot 501B Naasug Road, Naasug, Malay, Aklan, in the area of Boracay. The company has also operated facilities and business activities in Metro Manila. 3

Destileria Barako describes itself as a Filipino craft distillery and emphasizes small-batch production, local sourcing, and the use of Philippine cultural themes in product development. Its earlier company profile specifically described the use of copper and stainless-steel stills and a focus on supporting local farmers through alternative markets for agricultural products.

Destileria Barako’s portfolio includes several collections of gin, vodka, and liqueurs.

Ube Cream Liqueur

The company’s most prominent product is Ube Cream Liqueur, developed in 2021. It combines Philippine ube (purple yam) with cream and a sugar-cane vodka base produced from Philippine sugar cane. The company markets it as the World’s First Ube Cream Liqueur™. 4

The product received a Double Gold Medal and a Product Innovation award at the 2021 SIP Awards and was subsequently named World’s Best Cream Liqueur at the 2022 World Liqueur Awards, according to Destileria Barako’s product information. 5

Ube Cream Liqueur has become central to the company’s identity because it transforms an ingredient strongly associated with Filipino cuisine and desserts into a commercial spirits product. The company promotes it for drinking neat or chilled, over ice, and as an ingredient in cocktails and dessert-inspired drinks. 6

Agimat Gin

Agimat Gin is a botanical gin inspired by Philippine mythology and traditional concepts of the agimat, or amulet. Its botanical profile incorporates ingredients associated with different parts of the Philippines, including ylang-ylang, dalandan, yutukon, libas, biasong, and pink pomelo, alongside international gin botanicals.

The product represents the company’s broader approach of combining Philippine ingredients with internationally recognizable spirit categories.

Sirena Gin

The Sirena range forms another part of the company’s gin portfolio. The company’s current product materials list varieties including Sirena Blue Pea Gin and Sirena Dry Gin, alongside Agimat Gin in its Tres Espiritus gin collection. 7

Kanto Vodka

The Kanto series focuses on Filipino drinking culture and familiar local flavors. One of its best-known variants is Kanto Salted Caramel Vodka, made with muscovado caramel, sea salt, and sugar-cane vodka from Negros.

The name and concept are connected to the Filipino tagayan tradition of sharing drinks among friends. Destileria Barako has also developed other Kanto flavor variants, including a popcorn-inspired vodka. Philippine intellectual-property records document registrations involving Kanto Vodka products under Destileria Barako Corporation. 8

Gayuma Liqueur

Gayuma is a small-batch liqueur combining botanicals and fruits sourced from several Philippine regions. The company describes its formulation as using lemongrass from Aklan, lychees from Ilocos, and dragon fruit from Batangas, with Agimat at Ugat sugar-cane vodka serving as the base spirit. 9

A defining feature of Destileria Barako is its use of locally sourced Philippine ingredients as a central component of product development.

Rather than simply producing conventional versions of gin, vodka, or liqueurs, the company attempts to differentiate its spirits through ingredients and stories connected to Philippine agriculture, food, folklore, and regional culture. Its official description states that it works with Filipino farmers and uses native ingredients in its production process.

This approach can be seen across the portfolio:

• Ube — Philippine purple yam
• Sugar cane — used as a base for several spirits
• Muscovado — featured in Kanto Salted Caramel Vodka
• Sea salt — used in Kanto
• Ylang-ylang — featured in Agimat Gin
• Dalandan and other Philippine citrus — used in gin formulations
• Libas and other indigenous fruits/botanicals
• Dragon fruit and lychee — used in Gayuma

The company’s stated objective is therefore not simply to produce alcoholic beverages but to use spirits as a vehicle for presenting Philippine ingredients and cultural identity to international consumers.

Destileria Barako describes its products as hand-crafted and small-batch distilled in the Philippines. Earlier company materials describe a combination of copper and stainless-steel distillation equipment.

The company currently states that its production capacity can reach approximately 12,000 liters, or 16,000 bottles, per day, although it characterizes its products and processes as craft-oriented.

The company’s production philosophy combines international distilling expertise with Philippine agricultural materials. This model allows it to produce internationally familiar spirit categories while giving them a distinctly Filipino flavor profile.

Destileria Barako has received recognition in international spirits competitions. Among the awards highlighted by the company are:

The company has used these awards as part of its effort to establish Philippine craft spirits as products capable of competing in international markets.

Destileria Barako has expanded beyond the Philippine market. Its company profile states that it serves customers and distribution partners in countries including Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, and the United States, with further international expansion planned.

The company also operates a wholesale program aimed at bars, restaurants, hotels, and other hospitality businesses.

The international strategy is closely connected to the company’s branding: instead of positioning its products merely as generic premium spirits, Destileria Barako presents them as expressions of Philippine ingredients and culture.

In addition to manufacturing spirits, Destileria Barako has developed its distillery facilities as a tourism and experiential component of the brand. The company offers distillery tours at its locations, where visitors can learn about the production process and sample its spirits and liqueurs.

Its Boracay-area operation has also been associated with a distinctive tasting experience incorporating a swim-up pool bar, reflecting the company’s effort to combine distillery tourism with the leisure-oriented environment of Boracay. 10

The company is also associated with Agimat at Ugat, a cocktail bar and kitchen in Makati that showcases its spirits through cocktails and Filipino-inspired food. Destileria Barako says the venue was recognized by Time Out as one of the notable bars in Poblacion in 2021.

Public company materials identify several individuals associated with Destileria Barako’s founding and development. Tyson Branz is identified as a founder/CEO or company leader, while Brendan Green is identified as a founder and manufacturing/distilling executive. Other publicly associated figures include Junalyn Alo and Filipino cocktail and spirits professional Kalel Demetrio.

The company’s leadership reflects the combination of international distilling experience and Philippine culinary and beverage expertise that characterizes its product-development strategy.

Destileria Barako occupies a distinctive position within the Philippine craft-spirits sector. Its main point of differentiation is the deliberate use of Filipino ingredients, folklore, and cultural references in internationally recognizable spirit categories.

The company has particularly helped popularize the idea that ingredients traditionally associated with Filipino food—such as ube, muscovado, native citrus, tropical fruits, and indigenous botanicals—can be incorporated into premium distilled beverages.

Its Ube Cream Liqueur is arguably the clearest example of this strategy: a flavor traditionally associated with Filipino desserts has been transformed into a globally marketed liqueur category. 11

In summary, Destileria Barako Corporation is a Philippine craft-distilling company founded in 2016 that has built its identity around translating Filipino agricultural ingredients, flavors, and cultural traditions into premium spirits. Its portfolio—particularly Ube Cream Liqueur, Agimat Gin, Sirena Gin, Kanto Vodka, and Gayuma—illustrates its strategy of combining Philippine provenance with modern international distilling techniques. With operations centered in Aklan and distribution extending into overseas markets, the company has positioned itself as an ambassador for Filipino craft spirits and one of the more distinctive contemporary Philippine distilleries.

1. Destileria Barako | LinkedIn
2. DESTILERIA BARAKO CORPORATION Verified Details – Company House Philippines
3. DESTILERIA BARAKO CORPORATION
4. Intellectual Property Center, 28 Upper McKinley Rd.
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6. Destileria Barako | LinkedIn
7. Destileria Barako | LinkedIn
8. Destileria Barako Corporation, Philippines
9. UBE CREAM LIQUEUR DESTILERIA BARAKO 2016 Trademark Application of Destileria Barako Corporation – Serial Number 98350349 :: Justia Trademarks
10. DESTILERIA BARAKO CORPORATION – IFEXConnect
11. Destileria Barako Corporation – Best Gourmet Brands – TasteAtlas