Destileria Limtuaco Museum, a two-storey wine museum by Destileria Limtuaco, the longest running existing distillery in the Philippines (founded in 1852), chronicles five generations of wine makers and preserves over a century of Filipino craftsmanship and innovation. This museum showcases the process and production of whiskeys and also features a collection of items and liquors dating back to the Spanish colonization.
It is housed in a bahay na bato (stone house), in Intramuros, which reeks of antiquity with its stone walls; baldoza tiles at the ground floor, hardwood plank flooring at the second floor and hardwood stairs. The house was purchased, in 1979, by the Limtuaco family but was only developed, later on, as a museum dedicated to its history.
The museum was conceptualized by Ms. Olivia “Olive” Limpe-Aw, a fifth-generation master distiller, after a visit to a wine museum in Germany where she realized the rich heritage of her family that could be of interest to the public through the museum. In 2020, she was named among Forbes Asia’s Power Businesswomen, praised for expanding the brand internationally while preserving its 170-year legacy. More recently, in 2024, she received the Outstanding ASEAN Women Entrepreneur (AWEN) Award, acknowledging her contributions to regional business excellence.
Opened on February 6, 2018, the museum is divided into a number of galleries. At the ground floor is How It Was Before…. Gallery, Our Roots…. Gallery, Our Mini Distillery ….Gallery, Our Process for Making Rum …. Gallery, Our Process for Making Whiskey …. Gallery, Ageing Matters…. Gallery, Signed … Sealed… Delivered…. Gallery, Home is Where the Heart Is … Gallery, Remember This… Gallery, A Matter of Time…. Gallery, Best Foot Forward …. Gallery and Mark It …. Market…. Gallery.
At the second floor is the So They Say…. Gallery, Generational Vibe …. Gallery, Product of Evolution …. Gallery, And the Award Goes To …. Gallery. At the stair landing is The Gallery displaying portraits of four generations of Limtuaco presidents.
The ground floor showcases the traditional distilling process and displays memorabilia steeped in history showing, not only the various products of Destileria Limtuaco; but also a collection of bottles throughout the years; vintage, traditional oak barrels and imported white oak; and the machines they used to produce various spirits (including damajuanas).
The second floor exhibits company permits throughout the years and even their old cashier, dial-up phones, cameras, cash registers, typewriters and family memorabilia such as old photos; newspaper clippings; furniture (office desk, rocking chair, the wooden dresser of Teh Siu Yong Limpe, grandfather clock, etc.); the paintings of Julius Limpe, Olive’s father; brand evolution booklets (tracing label changes over 166 years); and awards of her lawyer-mother Ms. Lily Cheng-Limpe.
On display outside the house is a dadapilan, a traditional carabao-drawn sugar cane crusher used in the early days of Philippine spirit production. Upon entering the museum, a dedicated corner will introduce you to Tiok Tong (Siok Hoc Tong), the distillery’s flagship product. Introduced, in 1852, by Chinese immigrant Lim Tua Co (who adopted the Christian name Bonifacio Limtuaco), this traditional, bittersweet, medicinal herbal wine, which built the company’s foundation, is popularly known, throughout the country, as Sioktong. Within the display are historical bottles and original brewing herbs.
Visitors can also explore the intricate process of liquor-making and discover the stories, traditions, and people behind its well-loved products. On display are vintage distillation equipment such as mini tanks for fermenting molasses and corn; working distillators and displays on the production processes for rum and whiskey.
You will learn that the concept of the iconic commercial of White Castle Whiskey, one of the most famous brands of Destileria Limtuaco, of a model, traditionally wearing red bikinis, riding on a horse on the beach, which became famous throughout the decades, came to Julius Limpe in a dream and, upon waking, he sketched it and this became the inspiration for the brand’s storyboard.
On display are some of the White Castle Whisky calendars, an iconic Philippine promotional campaign produced by Destileria Limtuaco), that started in 1974. Past models include Evangeline Pascual (1974), Carmi Martin (1984), Maria Isabel Lopez (1988), Lorna Tolentino, Cristina Gonzalez (1990) and Glydel Mercado (1998) while recent models include Ninong Ry (the first male calendar model) in 2021, Sassa Gurl in 2022, Ria Atayde (actress) in 2023, Angelie “Pench” Andanar (a tattoo advocate and model) in 2025, Ashley Rivera (aka internet personality Petra Mahalimuyak) in 2026.
Personally, Olive has also developed her own brands that includes Julius James, a whiskey made purely from corn dedicated to her grandfather and father; as well as liqueurs such as Manille Liqueur Calamansi, Manille Liqueur Dalandan and Amadeo Coffee Liqueur. Today, Clifford, Aaron and Brandon, Olive’s sons, are also helping out as the sixth generation of master distillers, and it’s great that they have this museum, not only to remember, but also to continue sharing with the public the journey of all these iconic Filipino brands.
At the ground floor, you can also have a private dinner for as many as 20 pax, with food paired or even cooked with Destileria Limtuaco spirits. Aside from the rich family history, another thing that makes this museum distinct is that it is interactive. After your tour, visitors can opt for an optional tasting (you have to be over 18 years old), for an additional fee, of a flight of the company’s craft spirits at the Tasting Bar, including unique offerings like sugarcane wine, coconut vodka, premium lambanog infused with regional ingredients as well as the various drinks produced by Destileria Limtuaco (over 40 labels). Aside from White Castle Whisky, they also have Palawan Blanco Rum, Empire Vodka, Empire Gin, Napoleon VSOP Brandy, Maria Clara Sangria and Vigan Basi, among many others in an extensive list.
The company’s spirits have won many awards. At the prestigious World Drinks Awards held in London last June 4, 2025, Destileria Limtuaco was celebrated among the Global Taste and Design winners, with multiple products lauded for their exceptional flavor profiles and packaging that evoke Philippine heritage.
At the same event, the Intramuros Liqueur de Cacao (an all-natural spirit made, with 100% roasted cacao and a rich, velvety chocolate flavor) won the title “World’s Best Chocolate Liqueur;” the Manille Liqueur de Calamansi )an all-natural liqueur made by steeping calamansi rinds in a neutral spirit base with added sugar and no artificial flavors) was a gold winner as “Country Best Fruit Liqueur;” and the famous Amadeo Coffee Liqueur (made with locally sourced barako coffee, it blends four local Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, and Excelsa coffee varieties in a rum base), won the title “Best Coffee Liqueur.” The Cocohogo Coconut Cream Liqueur, a tropical and creamy liqueur which celebrates the flavors of coconut, won a Bronze Award, in the Vegan Alternative Category.
Today, Destileria Limtuaco operates three bottling, processing, and aging plants plus warehouses in Metro Manila, headquartered at 1830 E. Delos Santos Avenue, Quezon City. Now, instead of using traditional full-sized oak barrels, they use a specialized stainless steel vat equipped with submerged oak wood. This technique provides the necessary wood interaction to flavor the spirit while virtually eliminating the natural “angel’s share” (the evaporation loss that occurs with porous oak barrels) in the tropical climate.
Destileria Limtuaco Museum: 481 San Juan de Letran (near Lyceum of the Philippines and Colegio de San Juan de Letran), Intramuros, Manila, 1002 Metro Manila. Tel: (083) 485 9621 Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM to 5 PM. Admission: Regular – ₱100 (regular), ₱50 (students and senior citizens) and ₱200 (Premium, with liquor tasting). This museum can now be visited as one of the five museums that are part of the Intramuros Day Pass, along with Fort Santiago, Baluarte de Santiago Gardens, Casa Manila Museum and Museo de Intramuros.