What to drink in Vietnam? 5 Distinctly Vietnamese Craft Spirits
Hot on the heels of Vietnam’s borders reopening, restaurants and bars in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are quickly finding themselves filled with discerning foodies and global epicureans. Surely, this comes as no surprise following the slew of international food and drink awards the country has received in recent years. From placing amongst culinary giants such as Odette in Singapore (Asia’s Best Restaurant in 2019) and coveted Asia’s 50 Best (2020) to being named one of the best places to visit by TIME Magazine’s Top 100 List. In 2019, Vietnam was even named ‘Asia’s Leading Culinary Destination’ by the World Travel Awards (WTA).
Hoping to ride on the rising demand for fine dining experiences, an increasing number of craft spirit spirits are slowly but surely making their way to the shelves of some of the best restaurants and bars in Vietnam including Anan, Stir Cocktail Bar and Quince Saigon. These days, it’s not uncommon to see bar shelves filled with homegrown Vietnamese spirits such as Song Cai gin, Rhum Belami and Son Tinh Original Ruou.
Gone are the days when local East Asian spirits were synonymous with moonshine and cheap beer. Today, craft spirit distilleries in Vietnam are redefining what it means to be a ‘local spirit’ and combining spirits with Western origins and Vietnamese flavours, heralding a new wave of first-of-its-kind artisanal spirits that showcase the varied terroir, dexterity and heritage of Vietnam. And, like the country’s coming-of-age culinary scene, Vietnamese spirits are also (after hundreds of years of existence) having their moment on the world stage.
Rhum Belami: Award-winning Vietnamese craft rum
Source: Rhum Belami
Having grown up watching his grandmother make rhum and noticing an absence of premium rhum in Vietnam, French-Caribbeaner Roddy Battajon decided to take a leap of faith (and passion) to create Vietnam’s first craft rhum. Owing to the country’s vast access to some of the best sugar cane in the world (the primary product for making rhum), Roddy’s rhum-making decision was an easy and natural one underscored by huge underserved demand and an opportunity for growth. From then, Roddy Battajon made it his mission to ‘‘provide a quality rhum for Vietnamese consumers that is produced in Vietnam’.
Aged for 3 years in an oak barrel pre-filled with local spices, fruits and flowers and distilled in an Inox pot still, Rhum Belami is proudly sans glycerin, honey or mixed spirits. Ideal for purists and purveyors of artisanal small-batch rums, this 100% distilled rum uses local ingredients such as organic coconut, Kopi Luwak coffee beans and chocolate. The result (after a gruelling 34 recipes) is Rhum Belami « Legacy » Édition, a gold award-winning rum with a smooth and long mouthfeel that ends with sweet yet subtle chocolatey notes.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RhumBelami/
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Lady Trieu Gin
Photo courtesy of Lady Trieu Gin
Helmed by master gin distiller Adam Westbrook, Lady Trieu gin is a homage and celebration of some of the best botanicals in Vietnam. Its debut ‘Lab Series’ was launched in November 2020 and invites drinkers on an explorative journey through Vietnam’s flora, fauna and bio-diverse regions namely Mekong Delta, Dalat and Hoi An through its gins.
Taking it one step further, each release aims to capture the spirit of its locale, featuring ingredients, fruits and flowers native to a specific region such as black cardamom, ginger, jasmine, orange peel and chrysanthemum. Additionally, all gins are 100% distilled from Vietnamese grains and botanicals with Italian juniper and of course, produced in its distillery under the watchful guidance of Adam in the heart of bustling Ho Chi Minh City.
My personal favourite is the Dalat Flowerbomb Gin, which I’ve purchased on multiple occasions for both personal consumption and as gifts for loved ones. On the nose, the Dalat Flowerbomb Gin is incredibly fragrant and flowery with refreshing notes of jasmine and chrysanthemum and ends with a well-rounded earthy finish of lotus and coriander on the palate.
Facebook page: https://bit.ly/lady-trieu-gin-facebook
Book a Vietnamese distillery tour and tasting experience led by a gin expert
Includes a guided spirited tasting of Lady Trieu’s five types of gins, a tour of the distillery and a gin and tonic (make it yourself) to end
Song Cai Distillery
Source: Song Cai Distillery
Perhaps the most famous Vietnamese craft spirit and the first craft gin distillery in Vietnam, Song Cai Distillery was founded by Vietnamese-Californian Daniel Nguyen in 2018 and aims to capture the essence of its locale, featuring a range of ethically-sourced ingredients and botanicals - from fruits and flowers native to Vietnam’s Northern Highlands including mac mat leaf, canang, dia sieu wood to coriander - sourced from H’mong, Red Dzao, and Kinh families.
Every bottle is a tribute to Daniel’s sojurn working alongside minority tribes in the Mekong Delta where he focused on sustainable development. There, he would spend days foraging botanicals and drinking with the locals, who taught him everything about the country’s biodiversity and varied terroir. Today, Song Cai Distillery still has a sustainable partnership with the farmers and local tribes.
Dry Gin is Song Cai’s debut gin and was developed to reflect the boldness of the mountains and features dried fruits, spices, seasoned wood as well as 16 uniquely Vietnamese ingredients including turmeric, pepper, black cardamom and heirloom pomelo. Since its launch, it has earned global accolades (Gin Masters 2020 and the distinguished Spirit International Prestige Award) for its clever and local spin on the traditional dry gin.
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SongCaiDistillery/
Sampan Rhum
Source: Sampan Rhum
Made from 100% organic and pesticide-free sugarcane sourced from Hội An, in the Qu lang Nam province, Sampan Rhum’s sugarcane is harvested by hand, transported within 24 hours and distilled in a traditional French column still to ensure pristine consistency and quality.
What's fascinating about Sampan Rhum is that rather than bottling it directly from the still, it allows the rhum to rest in inert inox tanks (less than a year), a distinct and intricate process worthy enough to accord the brand’s 54% Overproof white rum a double gold-medal win (awarded ‘Best Asian Rum’ at the 2021 International Sugarcane Spirits Awards). The result is a rhum that evokes strong flavours of fresh-off-the-still sugarcane juice. On the nose, the 54% Overproof white rum has fragrant and fruity notes of violet, white flowers and stone fruits while it leaves a velvety finish underpinned by flavours of liquorice.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sampanrhum/
Book a Vietnamese Craft Rhum distillery tour and tasting in Hoi An
Includes a welcome cocktail, tasting experience of different rums, guided tour of the distillery in English as well as a step-by-step explanation of the creation of Sampan Rhum.
Son Tinh Original Ruou
Photo courtesy of Son Tinh
Unlike other craft contenders that borrow spirits with Western origins, Son Tinh is Vietnam's only internationally-awarded craft rice liquor. Founded by Swiss National Markus Madeja who visited Vietnam in 1993 and fell in love with both Vietnam and rượu - a popular local traditional beverage made from both sticky and non-glutinous rice. In English, it loosely translates into ‘rice liquor’ and has been brewed for centuries and drunk since the early days of Vietnamese history. Contrary to popular belief, rượu is not a rice wine, but a distilled spirit that possesses the essence of Vietnamese rice wine.
While rượu is Vietnam’s common tipple of choice, it is akin to a local rural moonshine and made using homemade stills and apparatus. Naturally, this means it does not meet international spirit standards and is often deemed a ‘low-grade’ albeit highly palatable beverage. In the last few years though, things have changed and Son Tinh has catapulted rượu from a local mainstay to an award-winning craft spirit, earning a spot on the global spirits stage. Through modernizing age-old practices, incorporating state-of-the-art equipment such as an Arnold Holstein still from Germany and stainless steel tanks as well as eliminating the use of artificial enzymes to increase alcohol yields, Son Tinh has successfully created an award-winning ‘modern spirit steeped in tradition’.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RuouSonTinh
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