Gin Malaya Brings Malaysian Flavours To The Gin Glass At The Westin KL

Pandan, lemongrass, and Bentong ginger meet their spirited match in Gin Malaya’s latest cocktail collection at The Westin KL.

If gin is your go-to all the time when you’re out with friends at the bar, then you should give Gin Malaya a try, considering most Malaysians prefer flavours close to home. Think Bentong ginger, pandan, and torch ginger. This is something you need to try and might get sucked into it.

What’s Gin Malaya

Two worlds, one spirit, and quite a bit of Malaysian character. Co-founded by Eu Jin Foong, Gin Malaya brings together the craft of Scottish distilling with flavours inspired by Malaysia’s wonderfully diverse culinary landscape, resulting in a gin that is distinctly its own. 

Developed over two years and launched locally in 2024, the award-winning spirit has since made its way to the UK, picking up a Great Taste Award and a Bronze Medal at the London Spirits Competition in 2025. 

Even the bottle gets in on the storytelling, drawing from Malaysia’s flora, fauna, and artistic heritage. Behind it all is a focus on thoughtful sourcing, traceable ingredients and good old-fashioned craftsmanship.

Gin Malaya Original

Pandan takes the first sip, with its fresh, unmistakably Malaysian fragrance leading the way. Then comes lemongrass, bringing a bright citrus lift, followed by the gentle warmth of Bentong ginger.

At the heart of Gin Malaya Original is hand-foraged Scottish Highland juniper, lending the spirit its familiar gin character while giving the Malaysian botanicals room to shine. The result is a meeting of contrasts: crisp juniper, zesty lemongrass, soft green pandan, and a little ginger heat. It tastes familiar, yet not quite as you know it, which is rather the point.

Gin Malaya Kantan

Prefer your gin with a little more spice? Meet Gin Malaya Kantan. Built around just two botanicals, it keeps things wonderfully simple: hand-foraged Scottish Highland juniper provides the citrusy depth and familiar gin backbone, while Malayan torch ginger flower, or bunga kantan, takes centre stage with its fragrant, gently spicy character.

The result is aromatic, expressive and unmistakably Malaysian. There’s plenty of juniper clarity, but it’s the bunga kantan that lingers, bringing a bright, floral spice to every sip. Proof that sometimes, you really don’t need a long ingredient list to make a statement.

Gin Malaya cocktails at The Westin KL

What happens when the flavours of a Malaysian kitchen meet the world of gin? At 443 Bar Lounge, The Westin Kuala Lumpur, the answer came in the form of pandan, lemongrass and Bentong ginger, with Gin Malaya putting a distinctly local spin on a spirit better known for juniper and tonic.

Hosted by Eu Jin Foong and ambassador Callan Green, the intimate masterclass took guests through the story behind Malaysia’s first award-winning craft gin, from its beginnings in 2022 to its launch in 2024. The idea was simple enough: take the flavours that feel unmistakably Malaysian and see what happens when they meet the traditions of Scottish gin-making. Two years of experimenting later, Gin Malaya was born.

“When we first started developing Gin Malaya, we kept coming back to flavours we knew,” shared Eu Jin. “There is something quite special about watching someone recognise those flavours in the glass.”

That philosophy, summed up neatly as “Two Worlds. One Spirit”, came through in Gin Malaya Original, where hand-foraged Highland juniper meets lemongrass, pandan and Bentong ginger. Familiar, but with a little plot twist.

The cocktails took that idea even further. The Malaya Rock paired pandan with coconut water for a refreshing serve, while The Torch brought bunga kantan, Campari and lemon into a silky sour. Pandan Malaya added smoked ginger and butterfly pea to the mix, and the Kantan Fizz kept things crisp with lemon and soda.

Gin Malaya’s signature cocktail collection is now available at The Westin Kuala Lumpur, offering guests another way to explore a very Malaysian take on gin.

Opening image courtesy of Gin Malaya