Cambodia

Like most of its neighbors, Cambodia was once a producer of cane sugar, but all its sugar mills were destroyed during the civil war. Cambodians then turned instead to local whisky (teuk thnout chhou), beer, palm wine and rice wine. However, sugar cane is still grown wild and in gardens, and its fresh juice is still appreciated throughout the country.

Since the early 2000s, sugar cane cultivation has undergone an intense revival, as the authorities have realized the potential of Cambodian sugar. It was against this backdrop that a group of Venezuelan friends moved here. They were astonished to discover that, despite all that sugarcane, no rum had yet been produced. No one had the necessary know-how, but they decided to do something about it.

This is how Samai rum was born, in 2014 in Phnom Penh. This molasses rum, fermented for 5 days and distilled in a small copper still, is very interesting, affordable yet richly flavored. There's also a Kampot Pepper Rum, made with Samai rum and local red pepper. Read less