Asia is creating spirits with distinct regional signatures, and they taste delicious

Brass Lion ’s latest release, Hawthorn Gin, is founder Jamie Koh’s take on a sloe gin, with an Asian twist. A sloe gin is the fruitier cousin of the traditional gin, where the midnight blue blackthorn (sloe) berries are soaked in the gin with sugar. But instead of sourcing European berries, Koh traded them for bright red locally sourced hawthorn berries.
“At Brass Lion, we try to infuse a bit of localness but still make it accessible to an international audience,” said Koh, detailing her inspiration, which stemmed from childhood nostalgia. “As kids, we used to run to the corner shop to buy Haw Flakes for after-school snack. They’re round stackable discs, made of hawthorn berries, a flavour that is very identifiable to us in Singapore.”
Her blend combines fresh and dried berries to induce complexity and a tangy, tart note and was launched in August 2024 to commemorate Singapore’s national day celebrations. Hawthorn Gin joins an ever-expanding lineup of Singapore-inspired gins, and they are not alone. Across Asia, an increasing number of international spirits like gin, rum, vodka, and whisky are made with a touch of local.
Gins are enriched with a bounty of Asian indigenous botanicals like coconut, pandan (screw pine leaves), lemongrass, and fresh sampaguita flower sourced in Southeast Asia, lotus flowers from China, sakura (cherry blossoms), yuzu and sencha from Japan to kokum (Indian mangosteen) and gondharaj limes in India.
Provenance matters, and it is boldly proclaimed on the label, packaging and brand stories to create the local pride hook. Rum, historically made from sugarcane in the Caribbean, is now being made in Thailand. Issan Rum from Thailand produces a rhum Agricole style with local red sugarcane and in Cambodia, Samai Rums tape into the indigenous Koh Kong sugarcane as its raw material.
And then, there is an array of local spirits, from the immensely popular soju of Korea to shochu of Japan, arrak from Sri Lanka to feni (a cashew nut spirit) from India, which bring their unique production methods to the narrative.
Small batch, handmade and locally sourced, are the cornerstones of these new independent artisanal Asian tipples, most of which also boast sustainable and eco-friendly credentials.
“The diverse profiles that reflect the plethora of Asian herbs, spices and native ingredients is (naturally) what makes Asian spirits unique. Distillers here want to give craft spirits lovers something familiar, yet distinctive at the same time,” pointed out Ivy Woo, founder of SOcraft, a Singapore-based award launched last year to recognise international craft and independent spirits of the world.
Among SOcraft’s Asian winners, Woo points out several such craft spirits that stood out well, including Hapusa gin (2-Star SOCraft Awards 2023/24 winner). She explained: “The gin brings together a composition of Indian botanicals, including raw mango, cardamom and fresh turmeric. Then there is the Singapore-born Tanglin Triple Tangerine Mandarin Orange, a 1-Star winning Liqueur distilled with mandarin orange, calamansi and kaffir lime leaf.”
Asian craft spirits also picked up a few gold and double golds at the San Francisco Spirits Competition 2024, including Thailand’s Phraya Deep Matured Gold rum and India’s Smoke Lab Vodka Saffron.
FINDING OUR PLACE IN A GLOBAL MOVEMENT
The demand for craft spirits comes from millennials and Gen X, who spend big, care for provenance and want to drink authentic artisanal brands made by real people. When craft spirits first broke through, demand was buoyant, but as the market matured, Brandon Grusd had time to reflect on what makes craft appealing.
Grusd leads the Singapore operations of Proof and Co, a spirit distribution company built “to create and drive the demand” for independent spirits. According to him, an origin story that resonates with the intended audience, a sustainability angle, good packaging and distribution all play an integral role in the success of a spirit. Brand advocacy is another important avenue, he said, that is best explored through bartenders at your local bar or those who travel. “50 Best bartenders tend to travel more than others. If they like the spirit, they take it on the road (on guest shift), specifically if it’s a local product, and become your brand advocates.”
The Asian craft spirits market fits into the larger movement of the global craft spirits, led by North America, which was valued at US$20.5 billion (S$23.67 billion) in 2023. The craft spirit success stories attracted the big players, Diageo, Remy Martin, and Pernod Ricard. Does that still keep the spirits in the realm of craft? It’s debatable. Craft’s definition is unregulated, and no official set of parameters has ever passed muster. Informally, craft translates to small production (approximately 750,000 gallons) and has independent owners but can have minority investments. Irrespective, the segment is booming and is projected to reach a valuation of US$ 230 billion by 2033-end, according to a market study conducted by analysts at Fact MR.
“We’re on the brink of seeing an explosion of Asian spirits,” Anthony Atayde, Pernod Ricard’s regional marketing director emphasised. In 2020, the company invested in the Asian craft spirit Ki No Bi, a Japanese artisanal gin. Translating to the beauty of seasons, Ki No Bi incorporates hyperlocal ingredients like yellow yuzu from the north of Kyoto Prefecture, green sansho (Japanese peppercorn) berries and gyokuro tea from the Uji region. Since the investment, Ki No Bi sales are booming. According to Global Drinks Intel, work on a new distillery began this year, likely increasing Ki No Bi’s capacity by at least five times.
But the path to success isn’t limited to buyouts from big players. Atayde pointed out the resounding success of Korean Soju and brands like Jinro, popularised by Korean pop culture and K-dramas. “A lot of it has to do with storytelling,” said the seasoned marketer, “When you’re able to tell the story of each of these spirits or brands, you move from attention to retention.”
WHERE TO FIND THEM?
Asian spirits are ubiquitous in Asia. Just ask your bartender to point out their cocktails with an Asian spirit. You’ll find one at Mondrian’s Jungle Ballroom; famed mixologist Adrian Besa displays his national pride on display in a decadent dessert cocktail using the purple-hued Ube Cream Liqueur, mixed with coconut water, jackfruit and Belvedere vodka.
Cat Bite Club (No.76 on Asia’s 50 Best extended list) works with only agave and rice spirits like soju, shochu and baijiu. Singapore bars like Native (No. 31 on Asia 50 Best Bar list) have championed independent Asian spirits like Korean makgeolli, shochu and Indian whiskies since its inception in 2016. These singular concepts have encouraged new bars like Kotuwa bar at New Bahru, where mixologist Ashaka created an Arrack-focused cocktail bar, spotlighting this Sri Lankan-born spirit in their fun cricket-inspired menu.
Purists can sample Japanese shochu at restaurants like Setsuri Ishinomaki for the first by-the-glass programme of 40 unique Japanese shochu hand-selected by resident master sake sommelier, Janice Chi or a curated selection of craft Japanese spirits at D.Bespoke. For home spirit enthusiasts, here are four choices available at a retail experience near you.
East Indies Archipelago Dry gin
From Indonesia, we found Indonesian botanicals such as kecombrang (torch ginger flower) and andaliman (Batak Pepper), which give this gin a uniquely Indonesian flavour. 
$105, The Providore
Seekers Jason Kong Mekong Butterfly
This award-winning bright and bold gin from Seekers, a craft spirits company based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, captures floral notes of jasmine, rose apple and butterfly pea. All botanicals are sourced from the Mekong Delta from Laos to Vietnam.
S$79, Cellarbration
Ki-One Batch 5 Whisky
Korea’s first craft whisky is inspired by the success of Japan and Taiwan. Korean-American founder Bryan Do collaborated with Scottish Master Distiller Andrew Shand to produce this young whisky in the Namyangju region 40 minutes from Seoul. The spirit is aged 13 months in virgin American oak casks and bottled at 56.2% ABV.
$175, Le Maison du Whisky
Chalong Bay Rum
Chalong Bay is owned by a young French couple, Thibault Spithakis and Marine Lucchini. The sustainably farmed sugarcane is hand-harvested, and distilled into rum in a French-made copper still before resting for eight months to develop flavours.
$85, Le Maison du Whisky