Sangsom Thai Rum, 70 cl

Product Information

Towards the end of my time there, I discovered the Double Helix Wine & Whiskey Lounge on a date in Town Square. This delightful place offered, and still does, dozens of amazing Scotches, ryes and bourbons, and it was there that a lightbulb went off: whisk(e)y was not just a grandpa’s drink. Anyone could enjoy its flavor nuances, just like wine. Traveling northeast, Surin province’s Malai Thai Rum has also achieved a presence in many of Bangkok’s top bars. Thai nationalKaustav Bagchi founded the distilling enterprise in 2012 under the name Lamai. Not only does heuse 100-percent sugarcane, but all of it is sourced from a farm in the province. Smooth and grassy, Malai’s unaged rum tastes perfect in a mojito, as the grassy notes blend really well with mint and any other drinks with herbs in them. But the exclusivity of Bangkok Vodka is nothing to our next locally distilled vodka: Barrelhouse 53. Served only at the high-end Bamboo Bar, this initiative sees the Mandarin Oriental’s beverage director, Jamie Rhind, team up with local booze outfit Bootleggers Trading Co. to distill alongside Malai rum at the Lamai distillery in northern Thailand. Using sweet potato rather than sugar cane or rice as its main ingredient, the vodka rings with earthy notes and a long finish. Officially described as a Thai distilled spirit, ‘Lao Khao’ — which translates as rice whisky – is the strongest, the cheapest, and absolutely the most popular spirit in Thailand for the lower end of the low-income classes. It’s 40% proof and distilled from main rice, with a taste and smell guaranteed to strip paint from 10 paces away.

One of the newest Thai spirits on the market also takes on the vodka market. Finland natives Mika Tikka and Jouni Heinonen partnered with San Miguel to distill Bangkok Vodkain Kanchanaburi. “When we created Bangkok Vodka, we weren’t thinking of the tourists, but we wanted Thai people to be proud that Thailand now can also do premium spirits,” says Heinonen. “I really believe that Thai people love to drink Thai drinks. For example, Thai craft beer is really growing and why is that? Because people want something different.” Who: Malai, Kristall, Niikki and small-batch village products like Chiang Mai’s S-Berry (made from unripened strawberries). Produced from Thai sugar cane and has a strength of 40% proof (which is apparently a little questionable in terms of stability). The rum has reportedly been awarded various international medals along with being exported to 20-odd countries, although its export sales account for only one percent of total sales.

THE ART GALLERY

Fortress of Hong Thong – 35%, and this drink sold in flat small bottles and standard bottles of 0,7 liters with a label light beige color, on which is written the name in big red letters. Larger bottles are sold in gift boxes of red color. Unlike brand Mekhong, whiskey Hong Tong I occasionally buy and drink, pre-cooled in a refrigerator of hotel (this drink in a warm as it seems to me nasty). But for drink at home i still never take Hong Thong whiskey from Thailand and like souvenir too. Sang Thip Whiskey Further north in Nong Khai, Issan Rum began with a team of five people in 2011 and has since expanded to a team of 30, nearly all of whom are women. Here, they peel the sugarcane before pressing it to reduce the sour taste and bring out the herbal and floral flavors. The results earned Issan Rum a silver medal at the IWSC Hong Kong in 2014. A year later, they won bronze in Rum Fest Paris’s “Less than 50%” category and gold medal in the special jury prize.

Despite the fact that this is the Mekhong whiskey to taste it is closer to the classic rum than Sang Som, because it serves as a raw material for molasses from sugar cane (95%) and Thai rice (5%). The manufacturer claims that the composition is also added to a mixture of Thai herbs, spices and plant roots, the recipe of which is kept in the strictest confidence. Alcohol content in Mekhong whiskey – 35%. Compared with SangSom rum, taste of the Mekhong whiskey in my opinion worse, tighter. But this is my opinion and you may think differently, so try for yourself. Like the other ‘whiskies’ Sangsom and Mekhong, Hong Tong is also made largely from molasses, which is no surprise really considering how easily sugar cane grows in Thailand. Edelbrand markets its vodka under the Kristall brand, with a “V” to distinguish it from the gin and rum products. Made using sam pa tong rice, the flavor is mild and smooth. So yes it is safe to say that the majority of consumers who drink this stuff (which is usually on a daily basis) remain blissfully unaware of the fact that it plays no small part in the figures for alcohol-related deaths and health issues and that they are in fact abusing alcohol.

BRAND BELIEF

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. And there are always innovative entrepreneurial types in Thailand, particularly in Bangkok, who are looking to create or add to current or existing trends. It is this spirit that is behind the growing range of craft beers that have been appearing on shelves and in bars in the last few years. The availability of alcohol in Thailand, even for the locals and a large number of tourists has led to the fact that the Kingdom of Thailand is included in the global top five in alcohol consumption per capita. However, it is worth noting that the alcoholic beverages consumed in Thailand is not the same uniform. Thus, the share of the country’s southern provinces, where the population is predominantly Muslim, is not more than 8% on the amount of alcohol consumed annually. Conversely, in the north, where there are mostly Buddhists and is cold enough (by Thai standards) at night in the winter, the locals drink many times more. Of course, a huge amount of alcohol consumed in the popular resorts of Thailand, where the most favorable conditions are created for this. Even people who do not drink alcohol almost everyday life in Thailand often can not resist the temptation to try the local drink of varying degrees of fortress, in spite of the fact that to enjoy your vacation in this country and feel a sense of euphoria, you can be absolutely sober.

I tired sipping a little of this rum and was surprised to find that it wasn’t too bad. I added my usual cola and found the rum to be a fruity lightly spiced rum. It’s quite distinctive. I’m not sure what goes into the blend but a number of spiced rum producers could certainly learn a thing or two from these guys. Like Grandma Jinn’s, Iron Balls treads lightly when it comes to the name, describing itself on the bottle simply as “engineered alcohol” (see the pun?). Make no mistake though: with its light chord of imported juniper berries, Iron Balls is easily identifiable as a gin—and a very Thai one at that, with a punch of lemongrass, coriander, coconut and ginger. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.Find sources: "SangSom"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( August 2017) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Mekhong ‘whiskey’ was the first spirit to be produced domestically in Thailand (at least legally) on a mass scale in 1941, around the time that Thailand had reclaimed territory previously lost to the French colonialists. This is the drink that is almost on a par with Sangsom, and although it is again often given the ‘whisky’ moniker, it is also distilled largely from sugar cane and rice (on a 95/5 percent ratio) to a mere 35% proof. Not all local spirit-makers are trying to operate within the confines of a globally recognized type of alcohol. Indeed, with local laws only permitting generic “white spirits,” some of our best creations have no international comparisons at all. Equally as discreet in its labeling, Niikki Pure Spirit’s gin has a strong hit of juniper, courtesy of berries imported from Tuscany, Italy. Into the mix, this Chiang Mai-based company adds locally grown botanicals like oolong tea and coriander seeds. It’s very floral and a little sweet, perfect for a simple mix like gin and tonic, topped with a slice of lemon.