ThaiBev

Thai Beverage, better known as ThaiBev( Thai: ไทยเบฟ) (sgx: Y92), is Thailand's largest and one of Southeast Asia's largest beverage companies, with distilleries in Thailand, Scotland, Poland, Ireland, China and France. Listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, Thai Beverage Plc has a market capitalisation in excess of US$4bn.

In January 2013, the firm announced it had succeeded in a US$11.2 billion deal to take over the conglomerate Fraser and Neave, adding to the group’s considerable portfolio of assets.

Brief details
Thai Beverage Public Company Limited owns and distributes several significant brands, including Chang beer, Mekhong and Sang Som rum. It also has significant operations in Europe, producing malt Scotch whiskey, vodka, gin, and liqueurs with over 20 distilleries in Scotland, France, Poland and Ireland. Mr Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi in early 2013, added Fraser and Neave, Limited, a food and beverage, brewing, property and publishing industries conglomerate in Singapore, to his drinks and property empire.

Chang Beer, which started production in March 1995 at their brewery in Bang Ban district of Ayutthaya Province, is the top-selling brand in Thailand. It managed to win 60% of market share in Thailand after a hard market fight with the previously leading brand, Singha. In 2006, the company's beer market share was 49%, according to research company Canadean.

Chang-Everton
In 2004 Chang became the sponsor of Everton Football Club of the English Premier League. Together, they initiated five projects in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster in Thailand.

The Chang-Everton village consists of 50 houses and a football field. Following its completion, local youth teams compete for the Chang-Everton cup. Officials from Everton and Chang have been involved in the project. Together they also sponsor Chang Everton Football Cup and promising Thai footballers are invited to Liverpool for a trial with Everton.

Beer
ThaiBev brews Beer Chang (เบียร์ช้าง), a pale lager. Chang (ช้าง) is the Thai word for elephant, an animal with cultural and historical significance in Thailand. The logo features two elephants facing each other.

Chang is brewed at 6.4% abv for the local market. It is 5% abv for export. The two "versions" are in fact very different, the export a 100% malt beer, while the Beer Chang sold in-country is brewed with rice.

In 2004, the company introduced Archa beer, at 5.4% alcohol by volume (abv). Archa won a gold medal at the 2007 Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA).

In 2006, the company launched Chang Light, 4.2% abv and Chang Draught in bottles, at 5% abv.

ThaiBev’s flagship brand Chang Beer has won a Gold Quality Award three times in the Beers, Water & Soft Drinks category at the World Quality Selections, organized each year by Monde Selection.

The Chang/Carlsberg history
In December 2000 Carlsberg and Chang established a 50/50 joint venture, Carlsberg Asia, to create a significant brewing company in Asia. The Carlsberg influence can be seen in the typography of the 'Beer Chang' logo, which resembles the classic 'Carlsberg Beer'. In 2005 Carlsberg pulled out from the venture and terminated licence agreement with Chang. Because of non-fulfilment of contractual obligations, resulting in Chang claiming US$2.5 billion in damages. A final settlement of US$120 million was subsequently paid by Carlsberg.

Spirits
ThaiBev produces brown and white spirits. Thai spirit is rum. Rum is derived from distilling cane juice, sugar or molasses until the product is with 60–95 degree alcohol content. The content is mixed with purified water to produce a satisfactory level of alcohol content before being transferred to age in charred oak barrels for at least one year. Before being bottled the liquor may be further mixed to adjust for desired colour, aroma and taste, but it has to have at least 40 degree alcohol content.

ThaiBev's most famous, but not highest selling, spirit isMekhong, which originated in 1941 at the Bangyikhan Distillery west of Bangkok. Originally a state-owned distillery, it dates back over 200 years to the beginning of the current Chakri Dynasty. The launch of Mekhong was aimed at producing high-quality Thai spirit to stem the increase in the import of foreign liquor and to eventually replace imported brands. Sang Som however, has been the country’s most popular spirit brand for over 29 years, until 2006 holding almost 50% of the entire brown spirits market in Thailand. The company also produces Mungkorn Thong and Hong Thong and brands based on whisky, such as Crown 99 and Blue, as well as Scottish whisky brands such as Hankey Banister and Pinwinnie Royal Scotch Whisky.

White spirits are made from molasses without any mixture or colour, and produced in four alcohol contents: 28, 30, 35 and 40%. The company's largest-selling white spirits is Ruang Khao. The labels are colour-coded to reflect the alcoholic strength but do not have the brand name printed on them. Other brands in this category are Niyomthai and White Tiger.

Production
Molasses is the main raw material used for the production of ThaiBev's spirit, so that most of the products fall under the category of rum. Molasses is a by-product from the manufacture of raw sugar from sugar cane. As is the case with all distilled spirits, these are crystal clear when first distilled. Amber and dark brown spirits obtain their color from the extracts from the oak barrel during aging and from caramel, a natural colouring agent.

ThaiBev's yeast cultures, used for fermentation, are grown in its own laboratory and propagated in a yeast propagation tank. The yeast, molasses diluted by water, steamed rice that has been sprayed with mould (to create sugar) and incubated for four days, and water are added into a fermenter and the mixture is allowed to ferment for approximately 72 hours. The liquid that is left at the end of the fermentation process is known as fermented mash.

Distillation takes place in a distilling column and a pot still, which is a large copper or stainless steel kettle. Distilling involves boiling the “fermented mash” and condensing its vapour. The spent sludge remaining in the pot still is removed to be processed. The company's white spirits are then diluted with demineralized water to the desirable alcohol content in a white spirits blending tank and sent to be packaged and bottled after filtering.

Brown spirits are diluted with demineralized water and then aged in oak barrels for three to eight years depending on the brand. The aged alcohol is then further diluted with demineralized water before bottling. Liquor concentrate alcohol and caramel are added. The brown spirits are passed through filters and then bottled and packaged. ThaiBev also makes Chinese herb spirits, with the brands Chiang-Chun and Sua Dum. These are produced by blending alcohol, white spirits, sugar, caramel and Chinese herbs, and then further diluting the mixture with demineralized water.