Mekhong

Mekhong is Thailand's first domestically produced branded golden spirit. It is also known as "The Spirit of Thailand". In 1914, the ownership of the privately-owned Sura Bangyikhan Distillery (lit. Bangyikhan Liquor Distillery) was transferred to the government of Thailand to be under the supervision of the Excise Department, Ministry of Finance. The department then opened a bidding for a concession to raise money for the treasury and authorized the bidder to produce and distribute spirits within a specified area. The concession agreement expired in 1927 during the reign of King Prajadhipok. The Department then cancelled the concession for spirit distillation and distribution before taking over the spirit production on 1 April 1929. The distillery was modernized and it produced a new "28-degree" blended spirit under a number of brands including "Chiang-Chun", which is still available today. As for spirit distribution, the department continued with the concession and appointed wholesalers for each area.

Source: Wikipedia