Islamic Pakistan gets its own 20-year-old single malt

KARACHI, Jan 31 (Reuters) Predominantly Muslim Pakistan, where most people are banned from drinking alcohol, is set to get a domestically produced, 20-year-old single malt whisky, an official at the company making the drink said today.

The malt whisky is due to go on sale in July to non-Muslims and its makers are not expecting huge sales.

''There is also a ban on export of alcoholic beverages abroad so this whisky will only be available to a few in Pakistan,'' said Mohammad Javed, general manager at the Murree Brewery.

''We don't want to upset the sensitivities of anyone in Pakistan so we carry on our business quietly,'' he told Reuters.

Muslims, who make up the vast majority of Pakistan's more than 150 million people, have been banned from drinking alcohol in the country since 1977.

Until then, alcohol was legally available for Muslims in bars and restaurants but then prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who is said to have enjoyed an occasional drink, imposed the ban to shore up support from Islamists.

Members of religious minorities, such as Christians and Hindus, may still buy and drink alcohol.

The Murree Brewery has been making eight- and 12-year-old single malts but Javed said it was the first time a 20-year-old product was being launched.

The Murree Brewery Co Ltd was established in 1860 to produce beer and spirits, mostly for British colonial troops.

Named after a town in the Himalayan foothills near where it initially operated, the company is owned by a Parsi family. Its chief executive, M P Bhandara, is also a member of parliament.

A company director, Isphanyar Bhandara, said the 20-year old malt had been made with great care.

''It is vintage stuff and has been kept for a long time and its rarity will be in its taste,'' Bhandara said.

Although the whisky would be produced in limited quantity, the makers were expecting an enthusiastic response from non-Muslims, who are issued permits to buy alcohol.

''Our product will match the best Scotch whiskies in the world,'' Javed said.

Two other licensed producers of alcoholic drinks in Pakistan, one in the southern city of Karachi and the other in the southwestern city of Quetta, are also run by Parsi businessmen.

The ban on Muslims buying and consuming alcohol has led to an extensive bootleg industry.

Single malt whisky is made with malted barley and many drinkers say it is far superior to blended whisky.

Reuters BDP DB1818