Agriculture Rice Whiskey

Upon approach to the humble distillery, we will be greeted with the faint but enticing aroma of fermented rice and yeast.   As you enter the distillery which is much like a carport with one wall, you will be surprised to see that nothing here requires electricity. The room is dimly lit, and you can barely make out the large earthen pots and bamboo tubing. The owners will greet you warmly and offer you a taste of their homemade rice whiskey, or 'lao cow'. The drink is strong, but smooth, with a subtle sweetness from the fermented rice. The owner and his family have been making lao cow for many years, using the same traditional techniques passed down from their ancestors.  

 
You will see them carefully tend the fire under the large earthen pots, which boil the fermented rice mixture until the vapor is collected in the bamboo tubing and condensed back into a clear liquid, which will later be bottled and sold. As you learn about the process, it is easy to feel a sense of appreciation for the simplicity and authenticity of the production. It is a refreshing change from the modern and industrialized methods we often associate with alcohol production.