Arrack, the world’s only naturally fermented alcoholic beverage, is not merely a drink for king and commoner, connoisseur and your regular tippler, it is a liquid that contains a history that goes back several millennia and encompasses a long and delicate process from coconut palm to the glass.

The journey of a single drop of liquid from the flower of a coconut palm (Cocos Nucifera), to an ambrosial beverage is a fascinating tale. At dawn, ‘tappers’ from Sri Lanka’s coconut-rich coastline move precariously from tree to tree along connecting ropes to extract the sap of the yet unopened coconut flower. A deft slice with a sharp knife draws the nectar out of the flower. It is collected in a clay pot placed under the flower. A tree on average yields approximately two litres of toddy per day. The liquid ferments quickly into a mildly alcoholic drink locally called ‘raa’ or ‘toddy’.

The liquid from thousands of trees are transported in wooden barrels to collection centres, tested for quality, and taken to the distillery and poured into wash backs made of teak or halmilla; all this within 3-4 hours of the sap being drawn from the flower. Then begins the delicate process of distillation.

There are essentially two processes of distilling; continuous distillation and the batch process, also called ‘pot distillation’. The distillation process is completed within 24 hours. The raw spirit thus drawn is thereafter mellowed by a process of maturation at the warehouse and flavored with selected herbs. This process can take upto 12 years or more, depending on flavor, texture, alcoholic strength and fragrance requirements. The blending is carried out by master blenders who draw from the know-how passed down from generation to generation in accordance with ancient traditions and modern technologies to craft an entire range of products designed to cater to the palate of connoisseurs.

Coconut Arrack is a pure spirit in that it contains not a trace of methanol. Therefore, it is as safe as any comparable international beverage. In fact for those who have grown to swear by it, it has no substitute.

We at DCSL, are the inheritors of an institution that has the distinction of being the pioneer distillery in the country. We have, over the course of a century grown to become the largest distiller in Sri Lanka (and perhaps the world over) for distillation of coconut spirits and one which has consistently been recognised for the enduring quality of our products.

'Arrack': a blend obtained from a maturing over several millennia