Corporate Milestones

1786
The Thai liquor industry became consolidated towards the end of the Ayutthaya Era and was first recorded along with the establishment of the Rattanakosin Era. His Majesty King Buddha Yodfah Chulaloke - King Rama I the Great - ordered the construction of the first liquor distillery on the bank of the Chao Phaya River near the mouth of Klong Bangyikhan (canal) as a means of boosting revenue in 1786, only four years after establishing the new capital in Bangkok. The Thai people began calling the facility "Bangyikhan Liquor Distillery" due to its location on the mouth of the canal with the same name. At first, only clear, transparent liquor was produced and sold by Chinese entrepreneurs and taxes paid to the Government in accordance with the agreement.

1927
The modern era of the Thai liquor industry had its beginning in 1927 when the Government took over the liquor production through the Ministry of Industry and the Excise Department, Ministry of Finance. The Excise Department became responsible for the Bangyikhan Distillery at the time and played a major role in the continuous development of the liquor industry, introducing new types of liquor, with quality and higher standard. In addition to the White Spirit, medicinal liquors were developed by infusing Chinese herbs in strong liquor in accordance with traditional recipes. The resulting product, which was then blended methodically to produce the desired taste, aroma and color, hugely satisfied the consumers' demand for medicinal liquor in addition to White Spirit.

1941
Mekhong had its birth in 1941 by the Excise Department who was then responsible for the business during the period of liquor industry's development. In addition to Mekhong which was highly popular then, "Special Blend Liquor" was first produced to wean the consumers away from imported whiskey - a move that helped to conserve foreign currencies and promote savings among the people. The first two brands of "Special Blend Liquor" were simply called "Wor Gor" - short for whiskey, and "Bor Dor" - short for brandy. Later, the jurisdiction over Sura Bangyikhan Distillery was transferred to the Department of Industrial Works, Ministry of Industry. Under the Ministry of Industry, Mekhong was further improved to totally win the hearts and minds of Thai consumers.

1959
In 1959, the Government drew up a policy for the private sector to rent a concession to produce and sell liquor products from Sura Bangyikhan Distillery and other government-run liquor distilleries for a renewable period of 10 years. The popularity of Mekhong then increased significantly, the Government therefore gave new concessions to new producers (1959-1979) as well as commission the construction of a new liquor plant in Pathum Thani Province in 1982. At the same time, 32 liquor plants all around the country belonging to the Excise Department, Ministry of Finance, were mostly located in populated areas and were falling into disrepair. Therefore, these plants were decommissioned and concessionaire tenders were called for the construction and operation and sales of 12 new liquor plants in 12 separate locations.

1977
The first bottle of Sangsom came into being in 1977 when it was blended by Khun Chun Kanchanalak, Thailand's leading liquor blender from the Sangsom distillery in Nakhon Pathom, the origin of the Sangsom Company Limited.
Sangsom liquor is a rum that has to undergo a special production process, resulting in a fine liquor that has been distilled and aged in oak barrels for 3, 5 and 10 years. After that, it is blended with a special secret concentrate of over a hundred herbs and spices to give Sangsom that special taste and aroma.

1982
Sangsom won a gold medal in the liquor competition in Madrid, Spain, in 1982 and 1983, then went on to win another award in the liquor competition in Dusseldorf, Germany in 1983. Since then, it has been known among its connoisseurs, foreign and local, as "Sangsom Gold Medallion".

1991
The beer industry was liberalized in 1991. There were then several companies tendering their applications to set up breweries. Beer Chang came into the market in 1995 and had been the only Thai-made beer to use Thai scripts on its labels to display the pride of being Thai.

1994
On April 4, 1994, the first bottle of Beer Chang came off the production line in the brewery at Bang Baan District of Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya Province. The brewery is jointly constructed by Danbrew A/S Company, a leading company in brewery construction in Denmark.

1995
Beer Chang was officially marketed for the first time on March 2, 1995. From that moment on, Beer Chang has received tremendous support and become the talk of the town with its attractive taste and a price that appealed to consumers at all levels. The response and success of Beer Chang marked a new era and turned a new page for the Thai beer industry.

1998
The exceptional taste of Beer Chang also brought about fame and pride to the country when it became successful at the world level with the awarding of the "Gold Medallion" at the International Beer Competition in Australia in 1998 in the category of "Lager, Unlimited Degree". Since then, Beer Chang that has been more and more acceptable to Thai and foreign consumers became a favorite among beer lovers.

1999
In order to respond to the increasing demand for Beer Chang, a second brewery was built in Klong Klung District, Kamphaeng Phet Province in 1999. This new brewery results in a quicker and more efficient transport of Beer Chang to provinces in the upper northern and northeastern parts of the country.

The construction of the Kamphaeng Phet brewery began in November 1999. It had a land area of 1,600 rai, and took 32 months to finish. The investment was 9,000 million baht. It started beer production on October 12, 2001, and the first bottle of Beer Chang rolled off the brewery on November 23, 2001.

2000
When the concession period of all liquor plants was to end in 1999, the Government formulated a policy to liberalize the liquor business. Sura Bangyikhan Co., Ltd., an affiliated company within the Thai Beverage Co., Ltd. (Plc) Group, won at auction to buy the Sura Bangyikhan distillery in Pathum Thani. Eleven other affiliated companies also won at the auction for the 11 liquor distilleries belonging to the Excise Department.

Therefore, the affiliated companies within the Thai Beverage Co., Ltd. (Plc) now own all 12 liquor distilleries bought through auctions from the Government and began operation from 2000 onwards.

2003
In October 2003, altogether 58 related companies in the production and marketing of alcoholic beverage group and related businesses merged into the Thai Beverage Public Company Limited with a registered capital of 20,000 million baht. Subsequently, in December 2003 the registered capital was increased to 22,000 million baht. Currently, Thai Beverage Public Company Limited comprises 63 subsidiaries. The strength of the country's liquor and beer industries is crucial in stemming the tide of foreign liquor and beer from flooding into the country that would have a direct impact on Thailand's economic development.

The fact that Thai Beverage Plc. has a consolidated and strong production and sales infrastructure among its integrated affiliated companies is instrumental in enhancing the capability to produce liquors and beers that are comparable in quality to any other products in the world - at much lower costs of production. This makes Thai Beverage Plc. Thailand's leader in alcoholic beverage business. It is now ready to take that next step to becoming a world-class conglomerate.

2004
The success of Beer Chang propelled the company to be a market leader in domestic beer products. In order to expand the market share, the company launched Beer Archa in July 2004 to respond to demands from a new generation of beer drinkers who prefer lower alcohol content. The company also expanded alcohol manufacturing capacity through the Thai Alcohol Plc. The company has manufactured ethanol for the production of gasohol since September 2004 as a substitute for gasoline octane 91. This is to satisfy local demand in accordance with the Government's policy.

The companies within the Thai Beverage Plc. group, apart from being a leader in alcoholic beverage industry with the highest potentials in the country, have continuously played a major role in social activities at all levels and the results of every activity have contributed positively and led to the strengthening of the Thai society through mutual caring

2006
Thai Beverage successfully listed in the Singapore Exchange main board.
Acquisition of distillery assets from Sin Surang Karn Sura Co., Ltd., manufacturer of White Tiger Acquisition of Pacific Spirits UK (PSUK), owner of Inver House Distillers in Scotland and acquisition of Best Spirits Company Limited

2007-Present
Acquisition of United Products Co., Ltd. and SPM Foods and Beverages Co., Ltd. manufacturer of White Bear spirits and other products.