Dutch-Indonesian liqueur brand Bandoeng'22 scores Australian distribution ahead of summer

7000 Islands has entered into a new distribution and importation partnership with Bandoeng’22, a Dutch-Indonesian pandan liqueur.

As part of the partnership, 7000 Islands will be responsible for importing and distributing of Bandoeng’22 Pandan Liqueur throughout Australia’s on- and off-premise trade, with an initial focus on Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney.

Siegfrid Bacani, Founder of 7000 Spirits’, said the new portfolio addition was a natural step forward for the primarily Filipino craft liquor distribution company.

“Pandan is part of Filipino cuisine but is more prevalent in Indonesian gastronomy. Bandoeng'22 absolutely nails it and perfectly balances the delicate triangle of smoky (oak), spice notes, [and] subtle sweetness of this Asian vanilla," he said.

"What's even better is Bandeong'22 is a celebration of two cultures - fresh Pandan leaves and Indonesian spices - It's what we're about at 7000 Islands.”

Born in the Philippines and raised in Australia, Bacani also says the cultural parallels between his own upbringing and that of Bandoeng’22 Co-Owner Fajar Ramadhany makes the partnership a natural fit.

“I was introduced to Fajar Ramadhany of Bandoeng'22 from an industry friend, and immediately we hit it off. I was attracted to his story of being culturally Indonesian by background and being 100% Dutch living in The Netherlands; so not only did I feel a kinship, but after tasting Bandoeng'22, I was absolutely floored.”

Both 7000 Islands and Bandoeng'22 are hoping to capitalise on the rich Asian culinary culture found right across Australia, in which pandan is often an essential ingredient in sweet and savoury dishes of Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Indonesian origins. This includes coconut milk-based dishes and desserts such as Buko pandan, rice-based treats such as Suman, and in various sweet beverages and confections.

To make the Bandoeng'22 Pandan Liqueur, pandan leaves are aged for 48 hours prior to being distilled and mixed with an Indonesian spice blend of cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Explaining 7000 Islands, Bacani said “I've always wanted to share with the world the flavours of my upbringing and what you'd find in our household food pantry; and [I’ve always] found aspects of our cuisine interesting, like how we balance the tastes of spicy, sour and umami in our food, and how this expresses differently when paired with beverages.”

The new portfolio addition reflects the ongoing momentum of the independent distribution business, which was first launched to market in November last year. Since then, it has added Engkanto Brewery - the Philippines most awarded craft beer brand - and Destileria Barako - the Australian-led Filipino distillery best-known for its Ube Cream Liqueur - to its distribution portfolio.

Siegfrid Bacani said, “after a professional career in drinks from pushing Jack Daniels whiskey in London, United Kingdom with Bacardi-Brown Forman, to Moët Hennessy the wine & spirits division of LVMH which included great spirits like Hennessy cognac, Belvedere vodka and Glenmorangie whisky… I founded 7000 Islands to share my love of pairing Asian food with drinks.”

To kickstart the new partnership with Bandoeng'22, 7000 Islands has already hosted two on-premise trade launch events across Victoria and the ACT, along with one consumer launch event at the Canberra Spirits Festival with Australian Gin Distillers Association.

Now available nationwide, the Bandoeng’22 Pandan Liqueur is bottled at 22% and retails at $88 per 700ml bottle.

For all trade enquiries, contact orders@7000islands.com.au. A list of current stockists is available here.