Philippines based distillery, Destileria Barako, has landed its Ube Cream Liqueur in Dan Murphy’s stores nationwide, following the signing of a national distribution deal with 7000 Islands Drinks in mid-2024.
The Filipino craft spirit blends sugar cane spirit from Negros, coconut cream from Mindanao and ube sourced from Bohol, drawing ingredients from across the Philippine archipelago. Since its creation, the product has collected international accolades including a World’s Best Cream Liqueur title at the World Drinks Awards and a Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
7000 Islands has spent three years running trade advocacy and mixology training sessions with Australian bartenders to build familiarity with Filipino flavour profiles – from the caramel-vanilla earthiness of ube to the sharp citrus of calamansi. The company stated this milestone is the latest signal that ube’s rapid crossover from food trend to mainstream flavour is reshaping the drinks industry.
Global exports of ube products from the Philippines surged more than 20 per cent last year, according to the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, while Starbucks rolled out ube beverages across its US, European and Australian stores in 2025. The AFR recently named ube as the ingredient poised to follow matcha’s path from niche to ubiquity.
7000 Islands founder, Siegfrid ‘Siggy’ Bacani, said when the specialist importer started in 2020, there was no Filipino craft spirits category in Australia.
“We had to build it one bartender and one venue at a time,” said Bacani.
“Landing on Dan Murphy’s shelves tells us the category has arrived. But the real proof is in the 300-plus bars and restaurants across the country that are now confidently putting Filipino flavours on their cocktail menus.”
“Cuisine is both food and beverage – you can’t separate them. The Philippines has one of the richest culinary histories in Southeast Asia. Now that the world is paying attention to Filipino food, it’s only natural that the drinks story follows. We’re here to make sure that story is told authentically,” he said.
Ube Cream Liqueur is available now at Dan Murphy’s stores and online at danmurphys.com.au.
