In one of the most brazen acts of entrepreneurial spirit ever, new Singapore-based boutique craft spirits company Paper Lantern Distilling will be officially launching this year, and to kickstart their presence they are announcing a crowdfunding campaign to sell their first-ever batch of Sichuan Pepper Gin as a limited edition run.

Founded by husband and wife team Rick Ames and Simin Kayhan Ames (pictured below), Paper Lantern Distilling looks to use Asian ingredients in the making of its spirits, and its Sichuan Pepper Gin will incorporate the use eight different Asian botanical including the spicy peppercorns normally found in Chinese Szechuan, Nepali and Tibetan cuisines, as well as a touch of Thai honey.

To get round famously restrictive – oppressive – rules on distilling in Singapore, the two have based their distilling operations in Chiang Mai, and source their botanicals from nearby spice markets, including ginger, galangal and lemongrass. The gin also features the Sichuan pepper’s close cousin of Thai descent, the Makhwaen – which is grown in the Lana hills in Mae Rim.

Rick Ames and Simin Kayhan Ames

The couple has partnered seasoned distiller Nikolaus Prachensky, who heads Paper Lantern Distilling’s operations in Chiang Mai, as well as consulting distiller Miko Abouaf, to produce the spirits. The Sichuan Pepper Gin is rice-based, which is triple-distilled in a 150-litre CARL copper pot. There are currently 1000 litres of Sichuan Pepper Gin resting, blending, waiting to be bottled and shipped out to Singapore upon completion of the crowdfunding campaign.

To buy the first 150 numbered, limited-edition bottles, visit Paper Lantern Distilling’s page on Pozible. Each 700ml bottle, which is available in Singapore only, is S$100 (with free shipping and bulk purchase discounts available).

2 COMMENTS

  1. […] to the traditional Chinese medicinal halls that used to dot the nearby Chinatown area. It uses Paper Lantern Sichuan pepper gin, along with black sesame paste, Chinese ginseng reduction, gingko nut foam as well as some black […]

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