Cambodia’s Heineken lovers are feeling a bit parched as a months-long dispute between the Dutch beer’s distributors dries up supply of the amber lager in the kingdom.
The Phnom Penh Post reported Monday that bars, hotels and supermarket all have seen their Heineken taps go dry with neither Cambodia Brewery Limited, the beer's exclusive distributor, and Attwood Import Export, its previous producer, unable to explain the shortage or predict when it will end.
Attwood, which had brewed, bottled and distributed Heineken under licence since 1994, saw its contract expire in December and distribution rights went to CBL, which has been progressively bought out by Heineken Asia-Pacific Export.
Atwood raised such a fuss over the loss of its lucrative contract in January that the Commerce Ministry ordered both firms to work out a deal. That hasn't happened.
CBL on Monday wasn't saying much on the matter, disclosing only that the shortage has been acute for about a month and that it was "working with the relevant stakeholders and the former distributor" to bring the beer back, the Post quoted the firm as saying.
So while Heineken markets itself as the beer that "refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach," it seems bars, hotels and restaurants have become truly unreachable.
The newspaper found an upscale-pub owner saying there was no stock anywhere, but he couldn't argue as he needed to maintain good relations with both Atwood -- which distributes Johnnie Walker whiskey and, soon, Corona beer -- and CBL, which distributes Anchor, Tiger, and ABC Stout.
However, he said, "they sure are killing their brand locally".
The Cambodia Hotel Association also reported total absences of stock at several restaurants while frustrated clerks at liquor wholesaler Supercheap in Phnom Penh said they're getting tired of being asked about the beer.