Charayam, Kerala’s forbidden brew, gets a Polish makeover

On April 1, 1996, Kerala’s most ubiquitous and potent companion charayam (arrack) was outlawed in the stroke of a pen, only to linger in the bittersweet memories of a generation. Now, exactly 30 years after that ban, the ‘forbidden spirit’ is all set for a high-profile global resurrection in the heart of Europe — Poland.

Midhun Mohan, an entrepreneur based in Poland hailing from Kerala, is preparing to launch a premium brand named ‘Charayam’ on the same day it was banned. By shifting the production to Poland, Midhun is transforming what was once a prohibited local drink into a sophisticated international brand, aiming to introduce the authentic potency and flavour of the traditional Malayali spirit to the world.

For Midhun, the project is deeply personal. “My uncle was one of the thousands who lost their livelihood when arrack was banned,” he recalls.

“The statistics tell a harrowing story: an estimated 12,000 workers were displaced overnight and the resulting financial desperation led to a wave of tragedy with several people ending their lives,” he says.

For him, the path to recreate this lost spirit involved an exhaustive pursuit of historical accuracy. He engaged in an extensive fieldwork in Kerala, interviewing former arrack shop owners, patrons, and even retired excise officials to document the nuances of the original brew.

“While many have attempted to capture the essence of the spirit through labels like nadan vattu, none have truly managed to recreate the authentic DNA of arrack that once flowed across Kerala,” he says.

“To ensure the final product is indistinguishable from the traditional version in terms of its unique aroma and kick, I brought multiple samples to Kerala for blind testing and verification. This rigorous process was designed to ensure that the Polish-made version remains a faithful tribute to the heritage it represents rather than a modern imitation,” he says.

While modern Indian spirits are often produced by diluting high-proof industrial alcohol, Midhun followed the traditional techniques.

“The original charayam was crafted from fermented and distilled molasses, typically clocking in at 33% alcohol by volume,” he says.

The greatest hurdle was in the location as Poland had no sugarcane plantations. Midhun had to import molasses to remain true to the original recipe. This labour of love resulted in several prototypes, which were then transported to Kerala for a final, high-stakes verification.

In multiple tasting sessions, veterans of the pre-1996 era sampled the Polish-made brews. Ultimately, they zeroed in on a single batch, the one that carried the exact fire, aroma, and soul of the charayam they thought had vanished forever.

This ambitious relaunch of charayam follows Midhun’s success in the competitive European spirits market. Before turning his attention to arrack, he gained international acclaim for Ayurvod, a herbal vodka liqueur infused with 75 distinct Indian herbs which won him a gold medal at the 2025 Warsaw Spirits Competition.

The upcoming release of Charayam is expected to resonate strongly with the global Keralite diaspora. “Foregoing flashy modern designs, the packaging has been kept deliberately simple so that the bottle on the shelf feels less like a new product and more like a recovered artifact of Kerala’s history.,” he adds.