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The last 12 months have seen a craft beer boom in Thailand, not only in the form of topnotch imported bottles, but also in the growth of a genuine small-scale craft brewing scene. But while Bangkok’s underground ales are still technically illegal, the law isn’t so hostile towards local spirit-makers. Unlike beer, the country has a long history of homemade white spirits production, especially in rural areas, but it wasn’t until 2003 that the Thailand Liquor Act gave small producers and households the right to legally produce “fermented or distilled alcohol.” However, this only applies to white spirits (dark rum is still illegal) and labels aren’t allowed to specifically say vodka or rum (only “white spirits”). Nevertheless, Thailand’s small-batch spirits movement is starting to diversify and, more importantly, impress.

 

Maa Jai Dum

Tonkla “Jo” Niyomtrusa moved from Bangkok to Chiang Khan over five years ago to open the Soi Song bar and restaurant. During the tourist low season, he contented himself with experimenting with homebrew beer for personal consumption. After studying the art at Chit Beer in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, and a little trial and error, Jo has left Soi Song behind to open Jo+ Beer Home Brew a few blocks away. Here, he serves his own brews including wheat beer, IPA, porter and amber beer—there are two taps available so the four keep rotating from month to month. The wheat and IPA are also available in bottle form under the names Wheat 90’s Hitz (containing Northern herb called ma-kwean) and Smell Like IPA.

 

Where to find it in Bangkok: Get it at Sky Bar (130 Praditmanutham Rd., 089-518-6996). The owner tells us he’s just started sending some to Cinema Wine House (61 Samsen Rd., 096-465.6526), too.

 

Follow them at: www.fb.com/Jo.beer.thailand

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Actually, it started with my two cousins, Kaustav Bagchi and Chris Sabdasen, making rum at home illegally. I’ve been working as an executive at one of Thailand's top rice processors and exporters, trying to promote local artisanal food and beverage production. I saw the potential of pushing locally-produced Thai spirits. So we started ramping up investment and applied for a license, finally becoming legal in 2014 in time to launch properly.

 

Our products are legal under a "village distillery license" for Lampun, under which our products must be labelled “white spirits,” not rum, vodka or gin. We all want the law changed, so we can have better products and possibly cheaper beers and spirits made by local producers. And I’d love to make local whiskies—I’m trained and certified by the UK International Brewing and Distilling Institute.

 

Chris and I, along with some other industry friends, recently started Bespoke Distiller, another craft distillery that will specialize in made-to-order spirits. On one hand, we plan to make handcrafted niche products for premium bars and restaurants; on the other, we hope to set up production to satisfy the huge brown spirits market within ASEAN+3.

 

 

Because I wanted to get back on my fucking boat. I wanted to do a business that didn’t rely on the unstable economy of the nightlife business in Bangkok. I wanted to go back to manufacturing. And I wanted to make use of the good local ingredients here.

 

I like machines. I saw a niche area. You can go a lot of directions with gin; you can use local spices. I did a lot of research on the best distillery. I used a company in Germany that makes the best equipment in the world. It showed up in parts and I set it up. The German guys said, “You set it up, we don’t need to come over. You know all you need to know.”

 

I’m only doing a juniper, ginger and lemongrass one. It’s called Iron Balls. I’m still tweaking it a bit. A bit more ginger, a bit more lemongrass, but to be legally a gin, the juniper needs to dominate. It’s totally organic. You can taste that. We only do 200 bottles a week. You’re getting quality. I make it myself from start to finish. No shortcuts or chemicals to boost alcohol quicker or that sort of stuff. I cut the pineapples and bash the lemongrass myself.

 

It’s a nightmare. They said one thing to start then changed their mind. They’ve rejected me on the bottle, and they’ve rejected me on the percentage of alcohol. That’s cost me two million baht. It’s going to be legal one day but it takes three to four months to get an answer to anything. It’s the biggest nightmare of my whole fucking life. It’s the biggest investment I’ve ever done. So right now it’s just for export, but you can come by and taste it if you want.