Every so often, a place takes me by surprise in an amazing way.
Ko Samui makes rum. Chiang Mai makes vodka. Here in Phuket, the Chalong Bay Rum Distillery is a surprisingly offbeat look at how to make some proper rum. Using local sugar cane (Thailand is the fourth largest sugar cane producer behind Brazil, India, and China) and French distillation techniques, the distillery marries the two heritages / traditions into one superb rum.
Before starting on one of the hourly tours, enjoy a mint mojito (it comes with the tour fee) made with the distillery’s rum. Once the tour starts, no pictures are allowed — groups are small, so don’t try sneaking any. Tours are available in Russian, French, English, and Thai — during our trip a Finnish tour was ongoing as well.
Rewind the time machine to the 8th century, when Arab traders brought Southeast Asian sugarcane to the Mediterranean. From there they made sugar, which eventually came to France and Portugal. Sugarcane couldn’t grow in Europe, so trade continued from Southeast Asia. Fast-forward to the 15th century, when Columbus brought sugarcane to the Caribbean. It grew there, and thanks to colonization it was brought back to Europe to meet the demand. From there it spread to the ‘New World’ and Central America, but the French distillation manner has stuck around.
Now back in the present, French distillery experts met Thai investors, and today, rum is made here in the natural way. They’re in their 3rd year of production and 2nd year of sales, the tour makes a point to show the difference between industrial rum and natural rum. After being distilled it’s at 65% ABV, and takes up to a year to come down to 40% ABV.
By definition, rum starts with sugarcane, but most of the brand names you’re familiar with are several steps removed from sugarcane. The tour explains a super-sweet juice is made from the sugar cane, which then gets turned into factory-made sugar, then crystallized sugar, then molasses. Chalong Bay’s rum skips those steps and keeps the original color and flavor of the sugarcane. Note that while a number of species of sugarcane grow in Thai, they only use one species in the rum.
The tour takes you past the fermenting tanks, the decades-old distillation machines imported from France, and plenty of signs explaining the process. From start to finish, it’s 30–45 minutes long — after all the learning, it’s time for a couple of tastings! Try the rum by itself, neat, and as part of a Ti’ Punch — (rum, syrup, and ice). There’s a fair chance you’ll be a little tipsy by the end of it, so pack some water.
At 620 baht for a large (700 ml) bottle, it’s a bit pricier than a same-sized bottle of rum. You’re paying for quality and a non-industrial process, and you’ll have had plenty of opportunities to taste it for yourself. The tour is great and informative, so make it part of your time in Phuket.
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Name: Chalong Bay Rum Distillery
Address: 14/2 Moo 2 Soi Palai 2 T. Chalong A. Muang Phuket 83130 (GPS: 7.841599, 98.352377)
Directions: While you can get a tuk-tuk here (or most anywhere on the island for that matter), you’ll be better off getting a scooter.
From Phuket Old Town, head south on route 4021 and go about 5.5km. Pass the 7/11 and turn left at the light onto Soi Pa Lai — some signage is around, though it might get lost amidst all the other signage. Go 350 meters and turn right. Go another 100 meters to a T, head left and look left for the rum distillery.
Hours: 9am-6pm — tours available from 3pm-6pm
Admission: free admission, but 300 baht for the tour.
Phone: 093–575–1119
Website: www.chalongbayrum.com
