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Similar SangSom, Rum, Rice, Steak Diane, Sato | ||
Mekhong (แม่โขง) is Thailand's first domestically produced branded golden spirit.
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History
Mekhong was founded in 1941. Its name is derived from a dispute with the French concerning the border with Laos along the Mekong River. The company was reportedly purchased by Thai rum maker SangSom (แสงโสม) in 2010.
Composition
Despite being known as a whisky, Mekhong is in fact much closer to a rum. The distilled spirit is made from 95 percent sugar cane/molasses and 5 percent rice. The distilled spirit is then blended with a secret recipe of indigenous herbs and spices to produce its aroma and taste. Mekhong is distilled, blended, and bottled at the Bangyikhan Distillery on the outskirts of Bangkok. It contains 35 percent alcohol by volume, and it is used in a cocktail called the "Thai Sabai".
In popular culture
Mekhong Whisky is mentioned several times on the album Hell's Ditch by The Pogues, along with other common Thai drinks. Mekhong (Mekong) is also the name of a popular song recorded by The Refreshments on the album Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy. In the song, the singer, at a bar in Bangkok, is recently arrived from Taipei. He repeatedly orders Mekhong for himself and a new friend (whose name he cannot remember), always allowing the bartender to keep the change.
