Take a Journey Across Southeast Asia with Tarsier Gin

East meets West in Tarsier Gin, a colorful duo of flavorful gins representing the unique and mysterious flavors of the orient.

Filipino-Brit Sherwin Acebuche created his own unique liquor as a tribute after being inspired by his backpacking trip across Southeast Asia. 

“Gin is such a great spirit to work with. It allows you to create several expressions, hence the recent explosion in its popularity. It can also be a personal creation and it transcends culture,” tells Acebuche with his strong British accent. 

In this exclusive interview with Drink Manila, Acebuche shares a brand that is purpose-driven and unique. From the tarsier, to underprivileged youth, to educating people about Asia — Sherwin has created a platform that is driven by a unique, delicious, and incredible product.

How did you come up with the idea for Tarsier Gin? And have you always been into gin?

Filipinos always want their kids to be into something scientific like nursing, dentistry, or medicine, so I graduated with a degree in Applied Biology. You can just imagine when I told my mum that I wanted to work in a bar after university! 

Being a Filipino, of course I have always been into gin. After all, we are the biggest consumers of gin in the whole wide world. And one of the things I ask in my masterclasses is who drinks the most gin in the world? The Brits think it’s them. I say, nope! It’s the Filipinos!

I saw the emergence of craft gins while I worked for Diageo. We (Sherwin and co-creator Tim Driver) knew the craft gin category was going to be popular. It was exploding in the UK. Brands kept popping up every week. Nobody was focusing on Asia in 2015. I wanted to reflect my Filipino culture. It was just the right fit. We spotted a gap within the craft gin category that only big brands were trying to address like Bombay East and Tanqueray Malacca. After 76 recipes and three years’ worth of development, we launched in 2018. 

The flavor profile for Tarsier Gin is said to be like a backpacking trip? Could you tell us about the journey that you bring your customers through?

Our recipe was inspired by a backpacking adventure in Asia, where we met the tarsier. Our travels gave us the idea of how to handle the brand and reinforced our connection to the tarsier. 

We have two gin variants, each with its own story.

The Southeast Asian Dry brings you to an exotic adventure around Southeast Asia. The calamansi is the first thing you’ll notice, which of course represents the Philippines. Then you encounter Thai sweet basil and galangal, which are resplendent in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. The gin finishes off with a peppery touch, our homage to Cambodia.

For a sweeter palate, pair the Southeast Asian Dry with ginger ale, but we like ours with calamansi, ginger, and Indian tonic. Try it with kinilaw or Thai papaya salad, and you’ll discover what we mean by “exotic adventure”!

The Oriental Pink uncovers the sweet and tart flavors we experienced in the fruit carts and markets across Asia. The ingredients are so fresh. They are bursting with flavor. 

First, you encounter a floral and romantic feel through the aroma of red dragon fruit. Then the raspberry hits you, with a hint of lychee lingering in the background for freshness. The effect isn’t too sweet. It’s elegant, complex, and intricate — not just one note — but a balanced dish that sings. 

The Oriental Pink is already on the sweet side, so pair it with a light tonic. If you’re angling for something truly unique, serve it with Sprite on the rocks with lychee or rambutan and a sprig of mint.

What’s your connection to the tarsier? And tell us a little bit more about the corporate social responsibility behind Tarsier Gin.

We believe in building a brand and using that platform to highlight and support certain causes. That is why we have named our brand Tarsier. 

We learned about the work that the Philippine Tarsier Foundation does, so we thought, let’s do something to help. These tiny creatures have been around for 55 million years and sadly, there are not many of them left due to the actions of we human beings. 

In terms of ethos, we love brands like Elephant Gin and Snow Leopard Vodka. We knew from the start that our brand is about giving back, so we looked to the tarsier and the Philippine Tarsier Foundation. We have committed 10% of our profits to save these amazing icons of the Philippines. 

You have other corporate social responsibility endeavors, though. Were these your response to COVID-19?

COVID was tough. Most of our business was focused on On Trade. Seventy percent (70%) of the trade was on-premise. Ninety percent (90%) of our revenue disappeared overnight. We rallied by selling the gins online direct to consumers, and we worked with a lot of virtual event companies. We did digital gin festivals, food and beverage festivals. We’ve done tastings or master classes.

And yet, because of COVID, we realized that being a distillery, we have the one important thing that can kill the virus – alcohol. And we have plenty of it. So, when the World Health Organization released the guidance on how to make the hand rub, we thought about helping the community. All it took was one local doctor’s surgery to ask for help. That propelled us into making the hand rub, and that rapidly escalated into us making the hand rub for the frontline due to the limited supply of the stuff. 

We donated to hospices, nurses, and the fire service. We sold the hand rubs to bars, restaurants, and pubs at cost, and delivered for free. It was our way of helping our community survive and thrive.

Tell us about your gin school? Why is gin the best for a masterclass?

Gin is such a great spirit to work with. It allows you to create several expressions, hence the recent explosion in its popularity. It can also be a personal creation and it transcends culture.

We want to replicate the gin school in the Philippines. Our ethos has always been about giving back. Our dream is to build and establish Tarsier as a global and trusted brand respected and chosen by bartenders, so a gin school ties in with our goals.

Is the gin school another one of your philanthropic endeavors?

I mentioned how we’re trying to establish Tarsier as a brand trusted by bartenders. All of these goals become a platform in which we are able to shine a light on issues that are important to us, like the conservation of the tarsier and other primates nearing extinction. In addition to all of these, we also want to use our position to help those who are looking to better themselves. We Filipinos are remarkable hardworking individuals, full of talent and skill. Due to most of us not being able to afford university and further education, our chances are limited, but who can deny our determination and resilience? 

What we want is access, not handouts. We want to make our mark in this world with our very own blood, sweat and tears. Our dream is to open a distillery in the Philippines. It will become the headquarters for a bartending/craft gin academy where we can teach kids from poorer backgrounds the skills to make it as a bartender. They can then have the right skills to find jobs within the hospitality sector and work their way up. 

We want to be in a position where we can truly say that we are a brand with a purpose and that purpose is to leave this world in a much better place than when we came into it. I have always liked the quote “I learned to give, not because I have plenty, but because I know how it feels to have nothing.” That has guided me throughout my life and I think it is more important now than ever especially after this pandemic.

What’s next for Tarsier Gin? What else can we look forward to?

We’re a craft brand. We’re categorized by a small batch, handcrafted product of two people that fell in love with Southeast Asia, the region, the cuisine we encountered, people we met, the culture. That’s what we try to distill: experience, what we found. That’s what we try to bottle. We will stay craft. And we will continue to push our purpose.

How about another gin variant? This time with pomelo, or durian? How about rambutan? So many people try to capture Asia in their flavors, but they’re just scratching the surface. There’s so much more to Asia than kaffir lime and lemongrass. I want people to experience Asia through our portfolio.

It’s interesting. The UK market is saturated. There are so many gins on the shelves. But as soon as we tell our story and communicate our purpose, as soon as we explain our difference, we get traction, especially from bartenders. We say, “We’re Southeast Asian,” and they respond, “Okay, you’ve got my attention — you’re doing something different in the category!” 

If you want to get your hands on these unique gins, you may reach out to Alan Harrow of Grand Cru Wines & Spirits at +63 917 528 5219, or contact Solid Wine Marketing. It retails for Php 1,599 on Singlemalt.ph.

Tarsier recently released their limited edition Khao San Gin, a celebration of Thailand and the famous Khao San Road in Bangkok. Khao San Gin harnesses the vibrant flavors of Thai Cuisine, using Thai red chilli, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass as its signature flavors.