SIP, SAVOUR, REPEAT

At Phuket’s hidden gem the Chalong Bay Distillery, artisanal rum meets lush sugarcane fields, inventive cocktails, and a dining experience worth raising your glass to.

- ANANDHI GOPINATH

Phuket. The name alone conjures images of neon-lit bar crawls, full-moon revelry, and relentless basslines spilling onto sandy shores, but venture beyond the predictable party chaos, and you’ll find an unexpected haven of sophistication: Chalong Bay Distillery. Here, it’s not about how many shots you can down; it’s about savouring, learning, and appreciating.

The Chalong Bay Distillery, which I found by complete accident on TripAdvisor, is a temple to artisanal rum-making. Lured by thousands of positive reviews, my party of four scheduled an afternoon away from the seaside and were able to enjoy a cerebral yet thoroughly enjoyable alternative to sunbathing. Welcome to the thinking man’s rum experience, right in the heart of Southern Thailand’s tropical playground.

The distillery was founded in 2012 by Marine Lucchini and Sébastien Bonin, who likely gazed at Phuket’s sugarcane fields and saw more than just an export crop—they saw potential. Eschewing industrial rum-making methods, reliant on molasses, the duo sought to create a spirit that captures the unrefined beauty of Thailand. Their approach? Fresh sugarcane juice, hand-harvested and distilled in copper stills imported from France. This agricole style rum (a nod to the French Caribbean tradition) is as pure as it gets, with a grassy, floral complexity that whispers of tropical breezes and sunlit fields.