Thai Mekhong whiskey is actually rum
Mekhong (Koy_Hipster / Shutterstock.com)
Mekhong (แม่ โขง) is a Thai liquor with a long history. The gold-colored bottle is also called "The Spirit of Thailand". Many Thai call it a whiskey but actually it is a rum.
This spirit is made from 95 percent sugar cane/molasses and five percent rice. The drink is then mixed with native herbs and spices to obtain its aroma and flavour. Mekhong is therefore not a whiskey but a rum. Whiskey is made from grain, water and yeast and rum is prepared from the by-products of sugar cane (particularly molasses), which then produces alcohol through fermentation.
Mekhong is distilled, blended and bottled at Bangyikhan Distillery on the outskirts of Bangkok. The drink contains 35 percent alcohol and is often used in a cocktail called "Thai Sabai".
History and origin Mekhong
The origin of 'Mekhong' goes back to the time when the production of spirits was still under the control of the state. In 1914, the precursor of this drink, owned by the private Sura Bangyikhan Distillery, was handed over to the government of Thailand to be supervised by the Excise Department (part of the Ministry of Finance). The department then came up with a concession to raise money for the treasury and gave the highest bidder permission to produce and distribute a spirit within a certain part of Siam.
The concession agreement expired in 1927 during the reign of King Prajadhipok. The Department subsequently canceled the concession for the distillation and distribution of spirits. Then on April 1, 1929, the department itself took over the production of spirits. The distillery was modernized and produced a new blended spirit under a number of brands, including 'Chiang-Chun', which is still for sale today.
Later, the excise department concocted another mixed liquor with medicinal herbs. The herbs and spices were fermented until the desired taste, aroma and alcohol level were reached. The result was a new kind of drink that was tasty enough to be drunk straight. It was further developed into a "special blended spirit" that tasted great pure or mixed and could compete with foreign brands.
In 1941, the "special blended spirit" was given its current name: Mekhong.
Not available at most bars in Pattaya in recent years. Only Sangsom. Sangsom also tastes good, but personally I like the Mekhong better. Fortunately I still know where to find the bars in Pattaya where they sell Mekhong. However, I have also experienced that they pour Sangsom into a bottle of Mekhong.
The strange thing about the Mekhong 'rum' is that it was for sale about 15 years ago for about 160 thb.
Suddenly it completely disappeared from the market, after which it was for sale at the airport a few years later for a much higher price.
Found the Mekong good to drink, and yes Regency is tastier, comparable to cognac in taste, but considerably more expensive than the Mekong, although now the price difference will be smaller.
Unfortunately, due to health reasons, I no longer drink it either.
I have read with interest the art. about the Mekhong Whisky/Rom. read Maybe a tip then you should try the Hundred Piper. Great drink.
Greetings Jan Kramer
In Thailand I always drank Regency, diluted with cola. It tasted better to me than Mekhong or Sangsom.
Good article, but what is missing is the answer to the question why Thai whiskey is actually rum.
To learn the difference, I found this interesting link:
https://nl.esperantotv.net/rum-whisky-een-vergelijking-en-wat-beter-om-te-nemen
Thanks for the link, Gringo, but what a strange article! Incoherent and on some points completely wrong!
Only inferior distillates are diluted with other liquids.
A good product is drunk pure.
Where is the substantiation that it is actually rum?
Stated in the article. Whiskey is made from grain, water and yeast. Rum is prepared from the by-products of sugar cane (particularly molasses) or sometimes from fresh sugar cane juice or sugar cane syrup. Alcohol is produced by fermentation.