Emperador Brandy was launched as the Philippines’ first brandy label in 1990. This brandy is produced through a delicate blending and aging process. The result is a brandy of distinctive aroma, flavor and consistent mellow quality. “One look, one sip and it becomes clear to all that Emperador is a world-class product that is easily affordable.”
Nearly thirty years later, Emperador has expanded its brand’s footprint outside of the Philippines with distribution in 100 countries across Asia, United States, Canada, Africa, Middle East, and Europe selling over 28 million cases per year. Recognized as the best selling brandy in the world in terms of quantity sold, Emperador is also the #5 best selling in spirits overall, outselling Johnnie Walker, Bacardi, and Hennessy.
“Emperador Brandy still [maintains] the number one spot outselling the number two spot holder, Hennessy, by 17.5 million cases. The rest of the top 10 brands in this category see a range between 1.3 million cases to 3.1 million cases. This further consolidates Emperador’s global positioning and it is expected to see great penetration in the US and Canadian market.” (THE SPIRITS BUSINESS BRAND CHAMPIONS REPORT PUBLISHED 06/17/2019)
In 2015, Emperador Inc. acquired Fundador, Spain’s oldest and largest brandy producer. Fundador, meaning “founder” in Spanish, was founded in 1730 and is the first brand to be marketed by Pedro Domecq in 1874. Today, Fundador is sold in more than 30 countries. In 2019, Fundador was awarded the Gold Winner for “Best Brandy in the World” by the prestigious International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC). This gives Fundador the highest award in the competition among more than 100 brandies presented to the best tasters and experts in the world in a blind tasting. Emperador’s acquisition of Fundador solidifies its position as the world’s largest brandy company maintaining ownership of both the best selling brandy with and best tasting brandy in the world.
Aside from Fundador, Emperador’s acquisition included Terry Centenario, Spain’s top-selling brandy; Tres Cepas, Equatorial Guinea’s leading brandy; and Harvey’s, the United Kingdom’s top sherry wine. Each brand carries a unique heritage and market leadership position in their respective categories.
G.K. Skaggs, a nationally recognized premium beverages importer in the United States with over 35 years of experience, is the importer of Emperador to the United States. They have teamed up with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (SGWS), the largest wine and spirits distributor in the United States, to represent Emperador and Fundador in Canada. As a global purveyor of premium beverages, G.K. Skaggs will continue the growth of both brands’ international portfolios as well as represent their legacy and standards by striving to uphold Emperador’s values of “loyalty, integrity, hard work, excellence, and passion.”