Cheers! Welcome to the Nepalese village where everybody knows how to distill

Chang, a refreshing, low-strength brew, and arak, its stronger relative, have long been part of Tibetan rituals.

By: Geoff Childs, Washington University in St. Louis, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: May 1, 2026

Words: 1,283

Last Updated: 2 months, 4 weeks ago

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By Geoff Childs, Washington University in St. Louis

Imagine a place where every home has paraphernalia for distilling spirits, where there is a toast for nearly any occasion, and where your taxes – paid in grain, not cash – are deposited straight into a communal still.

Welcome to Nubri.

A valley in northern Nepal, Nubri is home to roughly 3,000 Tibetan Buddhist highlanders. Over the course of three decades, I have spent a lot …

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