005 LUNAR SERIES ANTIPODES

Chalong Bay Lunar Series: limited single cask editions

Each year, Chalong Bay's Lunar Series unveils a cask-aged Thai cane rum linked to that year's Chinese zodiac sign. The series is planned to run to twelve editions. Each rum is bottled at cask strength, at its natural strength, without chill filtration, colouring or flavourings, and produced in a limited number of numbered bottles.

The editions

Tiger – Lunar Series #1 (2022)

Selected by La Maison du Whisky for its Antipodes collection, Tiger marks Chalong Bay's tenth anniversary. It is presented as the first pure Thai cane juice rum bottled at cask strength. Aged for 20 months in two ex-bourbon casks (nos. 0002 and 0004), 62.1% ABV, 558 bottles. A spicy, round profile: vanilla, caramel, toasted hazelnut, dark chocolate.

Rabbit – Lunar Series #2 (2023)

Selected by La Maison du Whisky for its New Vibrations collection. Single cask P10, aged for 30 months in a cask that previously held kome shochu, a Japanese rice spirit. 60.7% ABV, 610 bottles. Notes of vanilla, coconut, caramel, lemon, greengage plum, toasted cereals and puffed rice.

Dragon – Lunar Series #3 (2024)

Made by wild fermentation, then aged for 13 months in a cask that previously held Jamaican rum. 62.5% ABV, 255 bottles. A nose of caramel, banana, exotic fruit and sweet spices; a palate of toasted hazelnut, citrus and orange zest.

Snake – Lunar Series #4 (2025)

Aged for 24 months in a single cask (C11) that previously held Brandy de Jerez. 67.8% ABV, 285 bottles. Baked apple and soft caramel on the nose; yellow stone fruit, brioche and vanilla on the palate; a finely oaked finish.

Production

All these rums are distilled at The Distillery Phuket in Chalong (Thailand), from Thai sugarcane grown without pesticides or chemical fertilisers, in an Armagnac-style copper still imported from France. The choice of cask, different for each edition, gives each one its character.

How to choose

Tiger (ex-bourbon) offers the most classic profile; Rabbit (kome shochu) is the freshest and most cereal-driven; Dragon (ex-Jamaican rum) the fruitiest and most intense; Snake (Brandy de Jerez) the most pastry-like, and the highest in strength. Given their high strength, these rums are best enjoyed in small measures.