In 1963, when William Grant & Sons bottled and marketed independently Glenfiddich single malt whisky, it heralded worldwide fascination, in a way, for a whisky crafted in a single distillery, using malted barley. Almost five decades later, in 2010, Jim Murray, the renowned whisky critic, named Amrut Fusion, the third-best whisky in the world, a turning point in the history of not just Indian whisky, but others too, from far off Scotland.
The single malt whisky bug has caught on. In South East Asia, comprising Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, there is a spurt of activity in the single malt realm. Some of them have been crafted so well that they are knocking on the doors of the world market, even if they are presently not massively marketed. Whether it is Brass Lion Distillery from Singapore or Orang Tua Group from Indonesia or Crows Craft Distillery from the Philippines or the Về Để Đi Distillery from Hanoi, Vietnam or Thai Beverage Marketing Co., Ltd. from Thailand or even from Three Societies from South Korea (East Asia), they are enormously adding to the buzz of single malt whisky.
Prakaan, Thailand’s first premium single malt
The latest to join the bandwagon is Thailand. As 2024 was winding up, Thai Beverage Marketing Co. made its foray into the world of premium single malt whisky with the launch of Prakaan, a spirit steeped in local history and crafted with an ambition to achieve global recognition.
From December 17 to 22, Thai Beverage Marketing Co. unveiled its first offerings at ‘Unveil the Flavours of Thailand’, a multi-sensory experience at the House on Sathorn, W Hotel, Bangkok. It was an immersive experience for those who attended the unveiling event. Prakaan has unveiled Tribura; Select Cask; Peated Malt and Double Cask and they are available in 70cl bottles, priced at 2,250 baht (Select Cask), 2,500 baht (Peated Malt), and 2,850 baht (Double Cask). They are available from at leading supermarkets and King Power Duty Free shops in Thailand.
Prakaan’s strategy is to target consumers seeking new experiences in the “New World Whisky” category, in both Thai and international markets. The brand has ambitious plans for global expansion, showcasing the provenance and rich Thai tradition. In the domestic market, it will be competing with international whisky brands which is said to be valued at approximately 11.43 billion baht.
Prakaan is from Kamphaeng Phet, a province upper central Thailand, and known for its verdant Western Forest Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site. “It is here that we embark on an irresistible quest, unveiling a heritage deeply rooted in the provenance of our surroundings, the pride of our culture, and the passion of our people.
The creation of Prakaan is a harmonious blend of century-old whisky distilling techniques and Thai ingenuity. Our distillers with a wealth of knowledge tailored to the unique climatic conditions and resources of Kamphaeng Phet. With unyielding passion and precision, they refine their craft, adapting and innovating to perfect a whisky that speaks of its origin.”
Prakaan’s “Tribura” series features three distinct expressions:
- Prakaan Select Cask: Aged in American oak ex-bourbon casks, this expression offers notes of vanilla, honey, and citrus.
- Prakaan Peated Malt: Using barley malt dried with peat fires, this whisky delivers a smoky flavour complemented by hints of vanilla and honey.
- Prakaan Double Cask: This expression undergoes a two-step aging process in American oak ex-bourbon and Spanish oak ex-sherry casks, resulting in a complex profile with raisin, chocolate, and mild spice notes.
Keris, Indonesia’s experimentation
Two months prior to Thailand’s launch, Indonesia had set the ball rolling with regard to single malt whisky, launching Keris, named after the iconic Javanese dagger, Keris. The whisky is a celebration of Indonesia’s history and culture. On September 11 at H-Club, SCBD, Keris Single Malt Whisky was launched with top artists such as Judika, DJ Yasmin and Wingky Wiryawan livening up the proceedings. The Orang Tua Group thus made history in Indonesia when its Pt Asti Dama Adhimukti Distillery in Tabanan, unheralded part of Bali, produced Keris. The name embodies the island’s cultural heritage like the meticulously crafted asymmetrical dagger, Keris, with its strength and beauty.
The CEO of OT Group Beverages, Enricus Hendry said OT has always consistently provided 100% products made in Indonesia with high quality, while Keris Brand Manager, Lindy also drew similarity to keris, heirloom that is part of Indonesian culture. “Forging a Keris is not an easy process, it requires precision. Like Keris Single Malt Whisky which uses high-quality raw materials and a long process.”
The milestone set by Keris as the first local single malt was celebrated with recognition from the Museum Rekor Dunia Indonesia (MURI) in September 2024. The gold-coloured whisky is crafted from 100% malted barley and aged in American oak barrels, followed by secondary maturation in oloroso Sherry casks. The inaugural release, Silver, was offered at 43% ABV. The smooth and complex single malt is driven by the flavour of vanilla, with a hint of berries and a lingering woody finish, presenting character way beyond its years.
This historic achievement was celebrated in both Bali and Jakarta with two separate launch events hosting top hospitality and nightlife professionals to take their first sip of Indonesia’s first single malt. With this, the brand hopes to elevate Indonesia’s reputation as a producer of quality beverages and instil a sense of national pride among domestic consumers.
Vietnam’s Về Để Đi distillery releases first single malt
In early February this year, Hanoi-based distillery Về Để Đi has released the first-ever single malt whisky. Aged in 200 litre American oak first-fill ex-bourbon cask for 2-3 years, the private casks are priced US$5,900, plus a US$10 bottling charge per cask (180 to 270 bottles).
Founded in 2020 by poet and hospitality veteran Quan Hung Nguyen and Michael Rosen, one of the founders of Vietnam’s Sông Cái Distillery, Về Để Đi is a brand at the forefront of the country’s craft spirits movement. Về Để Đi garnered attention first with its craft gin, made with locally sourced botanicals, as well as producing a creme de cacao made in collaboration with well-known Vietnamese chocolatiers Maison Marou.
Not content with gin and crème de cacao, the distillery has been on a mission to become a full-fledged whisky distillery in the region. Master distiller Edward Tiege, formerly of Copalli Rum in Belize, the distillery has been producing corn and single malt spirit. Both have already earned plaudits; their unnamed corn and new make single malt won awards at The Spirits Business – Speciality Masters 2023.
Ve De Di roughly means in Vietnamese as “I come, so I can go”. The distillery first produced Vietnamese gin, crafted with local botanicals, and creme de cacao. Master distiller Edward Tiege runs the distillery on the outskirts of Vietnam’s capital, which is equipped with a 3,000-litre copper pot wash still, a 2,000-litre copper pot spirit still, a 4,000-litre mash tun, and six 3,000-litre fermentation tanks.
Singapore’s very own single malt – Brass Lion Whisky
Over a year ago, Singapore walked that path of single malt when Brass Lion Distillery launched Brass Lion Whisky with 427 bottles from a single cask, of which 70 bottles were siphoned off at cask strength. Brass Lion’s Jamie Koh and General Brewing Co. came up with a custom wash that could withstand Singapore’s tropical climate – sweltering heat and humid conditions.
They selected top-fermenting ale yeasts and Maris Otter malt, to yield a wash with fruity and complex flavours. Fermentation was done at local ambient temperature, which was possible due to the thermotolerant yeast used. 2000 litres of wash then underwent double distillation to obtain a precious 180 litres of new-make spirit. Finally, it was all poured into a bourbon barrel to mature for over three years, adhering to international whisky standards and regulations.
Distilled, barrelled and aged entirely in the island state, Brass Lion Single Malt Whisky has set a precedent for the local spirits industry. “Experimentation is at the heart of everything we do. Whether it’s through flavours or technique, we always try to push the boundaries of what local distilleries can do. We had the resources to create a whisky, so why not? It was a challenge but being the first always is,” said Jamie Koh founder of Brass Lion Distillery.
Brass Lion pays tribute to its Singaporean roots through the whisky’s packaging, incorporating topographic lines of the area around Brass Lion in Alexandra Terrace as motif for the whisky’s packaging, and the intricate curved lines adorning the sides of the box are reminiscent of wood grain, highlighting both the importance of the cask in the whisky-making process, as well as the unique region where the whisky has been produced.
Philippines’ Crows Whisky
Crows Craft Brewing and Distilling Co. made a mark in the Philippines beverage market by first crafting Crows gin, which has been widely accepted in the country. After its success, the distillery in 2019 released its first small batch Crows Craft whisky at a party at Elbert’s Upstairs Bar in Bonifacio Global City.
Crows Craft Brewing was started by Josemari Cuervo, an ex-lead vocalist of rock band Razorback. He started the craft beer revolution in 2013 with Crow’s flagship double IPA called De Puta Madre. Not content with just beer, Cuervo launched Crows Gin in February 2017 and the gin features 23 botanicals from across the world. And the next logical step for him was to launch a whisky brand and he believes that ‘whisky is basically the process of fusing beer-making with the distilling of spirits and aging’.
Crows Craft uses malt from New Zealand with a high diastatic power or sugar conversion rate which is distilled in a first-filled American oak barrel to produce the first batch of No Age Statement (NAS) whisky. The NAS style has recently become popular as a way for producers to release whiskies without being compelled to list the age on the bottle, as well as to address the global shortage of single malts, especially of older stocks.
Crows Craft Whisky is made at cask or barrel strength, not diluted, which gives it a higher ABV of 65% or 130 proof. It has notes of caramel, ripe bananas, sourdough bread, and a little citrus, of biting into banana cake with a hint of orange, but not sweet. Despite its high ABV, it’s a very pleasant sip and something you can enjoy drinking at the end of the day.
Crows Craft whisky, the first batch was produced in small batch, yielding just 20 one-litre bottles (from a 200-litre still) – which got sold in no time.
The single malt revolution is spreading like wild fire and in Asia several distilleries have surfaced producing the dram. South Korea, Taiwan, China and others have been in the forefront. Korea’s Three Societies, founded in 2020 in Namyangju, is the country’s first single malt distillery. And its Ki One Single Malt has grabbed attention; Taiwan’s King Carg Group Kavalan Distillery produces Kavalan whisky and in 2015, Kavalan’s Solist Vinho Barrique was adjudged the ‘World ’s Best Single Malt Whisky at the World Whiskies Awards. In November 2024, Diageo unveiled the Yun Tuo Single Malt Whisky Distillery in Eryuan Country, opening an exciting new chapter for Chinese whisky and further cementing Diageo’s position as a whisky leader in China.
The world is taking notice of the whiskies that are emerging out of Asia and single malt will continue to reign supreme. And we are not even talking about Japanese whiskies which have set such global benchmarks that the world is certainly looking eastward.
R. Chandrakanth