I have compiled a list of popular types, brands, and prices of whiskey, shochu, and other alcoholic beverages that are inseparably linked to daily life in Thailand.
Including imports, Thailand sells quite a large variety of alcoholic beverages, especially beer, including craft beer and many other products that are particular about their production methods.
Popular alcoholic beverages among Thai people
Beer is the most popular drink among Thai people. You will often see groups of Thai people with dozens of beer bottles lined up on the table.
*The beer bottles on the tabletop are counted at checkout and are not put away until the bill is paid.
Please link here for a separate article about beer.
進化し続けるタイのビール市場。タイもひと昔前と比べると、信じられないくらいビールの種類が豊富になりました。特にクラフトビールの台頭が著しく、「ローカルのタイ人買わないでしょ！」というお値段のビールもコンビニに並ぶようになりました[…]
Next in popularity is whiskey. However, in the Japanese categorization, it seems to be categorized as rice shochu, but it is uniformly recognized as whiskey if it tastes and looks like whiskey, without any distinction by raw material or manufacturing method.
Even on restaurant menus, there is no strict division of Thai liquor into genres; everything from rum and brandy to what amounts to shochu is listed under whisky.
The same will be applied here, with the categorization of all whisky that is called whisky in Thailand.
How to taste and drink whiskey
To be honest, none of the Thai whiskey is very good, and its taste and aroma are thinner than those of whiskey drunk in other countries, and I think it has a strong element of being a drink for getting drunk.
However, because of its low price, the average Thai person drinks Thai whiskey.
A popular Thai brand in Bangkok is Blend 285, which is usually drunk with soda.
When ordering, you will be asked how you would like to drink it. If you say soda, they will bring you a bucket of ice and soda.
Western and Japanese alcoholic beverages available in Thailand
Famous foreign whiskeys in Thailand include Johnnie Walker, Chivas, and Jameson, and these brands can be found in any convenience store.
In an area with a large foreign population, the main whiskey is a brand from these areas rather than a whiskey from Thailand.
In addition to whiskey, vodka and tequila are also drunk in clubs and bars. You can buy them in supermarkets, and several types are available in restaurants and bars in the city.
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Places where alcohol is sold
All the basics are available at the convenience store. There are more than 10 kinds of beer available, and recently, Korean alcoholic beverages have also become available.
At convenience stores, beer is kept in the refrigerator section and whiskey and wine are kept behind the cash register, so ask the clerk at the register to pick them up.
Supermarkets of course have alcohol, but many of them are not cold. However, if you go to a supermarket that caters to foreigners, you will find a large selection, so if you want variety, go to TOP’s or a supermarket in a shopping mall.
Thai Alcoholic Beverages and Prices
Sang som (Rum)
It is surely the most popular drink among Thai residents! Its uniquely refreshing taste and the fact that it can be drunk like water with soda makes it a perfect match for the Thai climate.
Personally, I would recommend this drink as the best for getting drunk cheaply.
Small bottle: 300 ml, 139 baht, Large bottle: 700 ml, 279 baht .
Regency (brandy)
Although the price goes up, I think Regency is the best Thai whiskey.
It is more peculiar than Sang Som, but still easier to drink than a typical Thai whiskey, and has a slightly more luxurious taste.
Small bottle 300ml 340 Baht
There are also large bottles available, but they are rarely on the market, but you can sometimes find them in bars.
*Small bottles also sell out quickly because only a few are available at retail.
Blend 285 (Whiskey)
It is the No.01 most popular whiskey among Thai people, but I don’t think it tastes good when drunk by foreigners. It tastes like a very cheap whiskey.
Small bottle 300ml 139 Baht, Large bottle 700ml 263 Baht .
Hong Tong (rice shochu)
Workers and uncles popularity is one of the highest. With cheap whiskey, there are two types of whisky: Sang Som and Hong Tong.
Small bottle 300ml 139 Baht , Large bottle 700ml 249 Baht.
Mekong (rice shochu)
Thai whiskey used to be known as “Mekong”. Mekong, which took the world by storm, is now rarely seen due to price hikes and a decline in the number of young people.
Small bottle: 300 ml, 211 baht; Large bottle: 700 ml, 424 baht .
天道（TENDO）
The Japanese whiskey manufacturing process is realized in Thai production and blended with Thai jasmine rice.
Although low-priced, its quality surpasses that of cheaper whiskey, and it is a hot brand in the Thai-Japanese community in 2022.
360 Baht / 700ml
Lao khao
Lao Khao, a liquor made from rice, is popular among rural and elderly people in Thailand. It is what is called shochu in Japan, but it has a strong alcoholic smell and is not very tasty.
It also makes me very drunk, so I don’t drink it unless it is recommended to me by a local man when I travel to the countryside.
It is available at convenience stores, and you may feel more Thai if you drink it once.
Overseas Alcoholic Beverages
JONNEY WALKER
It is probably the most popular foreign whiskey in Thailand.
It is divided into grades such as green, gold, black, and red. Red is bad taste.
Small bottle: 300 ml 339 baht, Large bottle: 700 ml 649 baht , Large bottle: 1000 ml 899 baht.
CHIVAS
It’s the drink you drink in bars around town or when you want to dress up a bit. Besides Chivas, the higher grades of Johnnie Walker are the drinks you drink when you want to dress up.
Chivas 12 years old, 700ml, 1.299 Baht .
JAMESON
The first choice when you want a decent whiskey at a reasonable price. It is characterized by its gorgeous aroma and refreshing taste.
Small bottle: 300 ml, 329 baht ; large bottle: 700 ml, 1,099 baht ; large bottle: 1,000 ml, 1,449 baht.
Other liqueurs
Supermarkets carry many liqueurs.
Yarden, herbal liquor.
Yardong is a Thai liquor that is not sold in supermarkets, but is sold only in limited stores.
Yardong is a liquor made by soaking herbs in liqueur, and it seems to be popular in the region to make homemade yardens.
In recent years, its attractiveness has been reevaluated, and some fashionable bars and other establishments have begun to offer Yardongs arranged in a different way.
■Yardongs to drink
Well-known Bar “TEP BAR”
If you want a local Yardong drink, try the street bars, although they are a bit underground.
夜になると現れるフアランポーン駅のゴザバー、もしくはゴザ ソムタム屋。僕もこれまで何度もディープスポットとしてこのお店の記事を見てきました。かつてはフアランポーン駅から中華街に向かって、数えきれないほどこのスタイルのお店があったよう[…]
▼Here is the information on beer.
進化し続けるタイのビール市場。タイもひと昔前と比べると、信じられないくらいビールの種類が豊富になりました。特にクラフトビールの台頭が著しく、「ローカルのタイ人買わないでしょ！」というお値段のビールもコンビニに並ぶようになりました[…]