A Very Dry Country

Mongolia has been experiencing a period of prohibition for the past couple weeks. This was brought on when someone at the Asia Wolf vodka distillery in UB had the bright idea to add methanol to the vodka, killing 11 people over New Year's. Many other people were hospitalized, including the president of the company. As a reaction to this tragic event the government pulled all clear liquor off the shelves for an indefinite period of time. Somehow beer and wine were also included, but only in some areas of the country. In Tsetserleg wine was brought back last Friday, but beer and vodka are still off the shelves.
The really scary part of this whole debacle is that, rumor has it, the company was also filling old Haraa and Chinggis vodka bottles with their poison, and no one knows where these bottles ended up. Chinggis is one of the most expensive brands of vodka in Mongolia, so people would expect they are buying a safe product. Police are supposed to be confiscating and destroying all vodka throughout the country, but of course this isn't working out quite like it should. Instead, many police are giving or selling confiscated vodka to their friends.
It is nice not having ridiculously drunk men wandering the streets, but with Tsaagan Sar coming up it will be interesting to see if the government brings back vodka for the holiday. Tsaagan Sar is one of Mongolia's biggest holidays, and vodka is a vital part. This holiday officially lasts for three days, but in soums out in the countryside it can last up to a month. My fear is that if legitimate vodka isn't on the shelves, people will make their own, and that will be bad for everyone.

Some Random Pictures