THE STORY OF ARRACK
The Sri Lankan flavour that lingers on… The pristine ambrosia-like qualities of Sri Lanka’s unique coconut arrack can be traced back thousands of centuries earlier, finding mention in early literature – “…liquor drawn from the coconut flower”. This delectable beverage is steeped in legend and tradition, making it one of the most prised offerings from Sri Lanka to the world.
The Sri Lankan coconut arrack is believed to be one of the purest, naturally derived alcoholic beverages in the world distilled through a natural fermentation process. Sri Lanka has perfected the technique of making coconut arrack through the years. Today, it has acquired the perfect balance for the discerning palate and coconut arrack reigns as the alcoholic beverage of choice in the country.
The contents of the wooden vats are mixed artfully every fortnight for better aeration and to increase contact with the wood. Herbs and spices from ancient recipes are also added at particular stages, to enhance flavour and mellow the liquor during the crucial maturation process. The maturation process is completed after flavour enhancing and smoothening while ageing in the wooden vats
Finally, spirits of different ages and flavours are blended to create the various DCSL brands, all under the careful supervision of an experienced connoisseur and Master Blenders. As the largest coconut arrack distillery in Sri Lanka, possibly even in the world, this golden brew remains our pride and flagship product.
The initial step in the process of making coconut arrack is toddy tapping, an age-old vocation which is lovingly passed down from father to son. Toddy Tapping is as much an intricate art as it is a science. Toddy tappers manually extract the toddy from coconut trees which are coupled and girdled by deftly rappelling from tree to tree. Coconut sap or toddy is obtained by tapping the unopened coconut flower for its nectar. Thereafter, the toddy is collected in earthenware pots. This toddy when fresh contains much sugar, but yeasts, microscopic vegetable organisms soon find their way into it, act on the sugar present and produce alcohol. This process of converting the sugar into alcohol is called fermentation.
After a minute filtration process, this liquor is poured into massive casks made of Halmilla wood and are gently transported to our factories for distillation. The process of distillation comprises of two stages; continuous distillation (patent still distillation) and pot distillation. This distillation process is usually completed within 24 hours. The purified spirit comes out with the distinctive flavour of arrack, ready to be savoured.