Call to regulate traditional liquors

PETALING JAYA: While the government and healthcare professionals discourage the consumption of alcohol, a distributor for tuak and langkau has called for regulations on the sale of such alcoholic beverages due to the risk of consuming contraband products.

Damien Lim of Honlynn Distillery, which distributes tuak and langkau in Peninsular Malaysia, said the implementation of food safety and quality standards in commercial production would ensure these products are safe for consumption.

“Customs certification would ensure implementation of ‘Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points’, thereby ensuring food safety.

“There is an intrinsic economic value for Malaysian products to be exported and sold to tourists who arrive in the country. Not marketing our traditional liquors means we are losing an economic opportunity.”

Lim said tuak and langkau can be considered age-old beverages, although they are not like the Japanese sake and soju, which have a 400-year-old history of evolution and refinement.

“Tuak and langkau may not be hundreds of years old, but there is much to be done to preserve its history and heritage because like it or not, these alcoholic beverages are part of non-Muslim festivities in Sabah and Sarawak.

“They are commonly brewed at home, which means there could be a wide variance in their taste, flavours and standards. Langkau is particularly intoxicating and if distilled wrongly, it can kill too, which is why commercial production is preferred,” Lim said.

Meanwhile, anthropologist Ernesto Kalum said the Dayak community in Sabah and Sarawak have long histories of brewing alcohol from ingredients found in the jungle and their gardens at home.

“However, the cultural stigma of consuming tuak or langkau may have caused younger generations to be wary of such beverages as they were once associated with drunkards.

“Furthermore, modernisation and the preference for more reliable and easily available international brands of whisky, gin or brandy also reduced public interest in traditional alcoholic brews, especially among young and urban populations,” Ernesto said.

Lim added that tuak and langkau, which are distilled from rice, are usually made by women in Iban communities and requires a specialised yeast enzyme called ragi for the fermentation process.

“When those who know how to make ragi pass away, we will lose a part of Malaysian history and heritage. So, it is important to have a safety net for the production of these traditional beverages to ensure they will not be lost over time,” he said, while reiterating the importance of setting standards for tuak and langkau.

“Such products consumed in Peninsular Malaysia are mostly contraband. Rough estimates put its consumption at about 12,500 litres a year. So, it would be wise to regulate the production and sale of these beverages.”

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