26 liquor brands with Malay, Arabic names other than ‘Timah’


By Yeu-Gynn Yeung
Oct 22, 2021 | 3:22pm KL time
Malaysia’s religious authorities were riled up this week over the recently-launched whiskey brand Timah, after conservatives complained it sounded too close to a Muslim woman’s name, Fatimah.

The brand, which launched on Oct. 11, has since clarified that the name had nothing to do with a woman, but that it was actually inspired by the country’s tin mining era while it was under British rule since timah means tin in Malay.

But that didn’t stop conservatives from continuing their uproar against the whiskey brand, with some fearing that it may cause confusion among Muslims who just so happen to stroll through the non-halal sections of supermarkets. The Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS, is petitioning the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to investigate the brand.

With the uptight brand policing by Muslim conservatives, Coconuts found 26 other alcoholic brands we think could suffer the same backlash in Malaysia — simply because they have Malay or Arabic names.

1. ABU NAWAS


Photo: Wine-searcher.com

From Jordan, the Arak Abu Nawas is an anise-flavored spirit named after an Arabic poet and wine-lover, who lived between 756 and 814 AD.

2. AISHA


Photo: Vivino.com

The Musita Aisha Catarratto is a type of white wine from Terre Siciliane, Italy. The name Aisha means “to live” in Arabic, and is coincidentally also the name of one of the wives of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.

3. AL RAYAN


Photo: Wine-searcher.com

The Al Rayan arak is a type of wine from Syria and costs US$19.90 per bottle.

4. AMAN


Photo: Packaging of the world

While aman means “peace” in Malay, it also means to love or adore in Spanish, and is the name of a tequila beverage brewed in the Nayarit state of Mexico.

5. AMIRA


Photo: Vivino.com

“Amira” is the name of a type of red wine from Italy and is also a common name among Muslim women. It means “princess” in Arabic.

6. AYAM


Photo: Al Ahram Beverages

Ayam means chicken in Malay and is also the name of wines sold by Egypt’s Al Ahram Beverages.

7. BABI


Photo: Brolly Brewing

Babi is the Malay word for “pork,” which is forbidden in Islam. The UK’s Brolly Brewing company has a beer named Babi, which costs £6.50 (US$9) a can.

8. BINTANG


Photo: Wikiwand

Bintang is the name of a popular beer brand in Indonesia and also means “star” in Malay.

9. CAP TIKUS


Photo: Allan Sumali

Cap Tikus is a traditional alcoholic beverage native to the Minahasa tribe in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Tikus means “rat” in Malay.

10. CINTA


Photo: Firstchoiceliquor.com.au

The Cinta Prosecco is a sparkling wine from Italy. The name also means “love” in Malay.

11. CITRA


Photo: Winebow.com

Codice Citra is the name of one of the largest wineries in Abruzzo, Italy that produces wines under the label “Citra.” In Malay, Citra translates to “sculpture or image.”

12. DARA


Photo: Vivino.com

Dara is a type of red wine from Priorat, Catalunya, in Spain. The Malay word dara translates to “virgin.”

13. JIWA


Photo: Fruzzante/Facebook

Jiwa is the name of a starfruit-based sparkling wine made by Indian winery Fruzzante. Jiwa also means “soul” in Malay.

14. MATA HARI


Photo: Spiritreviews.com

Mata Hari is a type of absinthe from Vienna, Austria, named after the Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. Matahari, the Malay word, means “sun.”

15. MUADDI


Photo: Muaddi.com

Arak Muaddi is a handcrafted spirit made by the Muaddi Craft Distillery in Palestine.

16. NADIA


Photo: Laetitiawine.com

Nadia is a type of red wine from the Laetitia Vineyard and Winery in Santa Barbara, California. In Arabic, Nadia or Nadiyyah means “tender” and “delicate.”

17. NUR


Photo: Vivino.com

Nur is the name for a type of white wine made in Italy. Nur is also a common name for Muslims, meaning “light” in Arabic.

18. OMAR


Photo: Winehouseliquor.com

Omar is the brand of a type of whiskey brewed in the state-owned Nantou distillery in Taiwan. One bottle goes for RM360 (US$86).

19. OMAR KHAYYAM


Photo: Omarkhayyamuk.com

Omar Khayyam is a UK brand that sells wine, sparkling wine, and vodka. Omar Khayyam is also the name of an Islamic mathematician who lived from the years 1048 to 1131 and wrote poems about wine.

20. RAMALLAH


Photo: Tastings.com

Palestinian alcoholic beverage Ramallah is an anise-flavored spirit. Ramallah is also the name of a city in the central West Bank of Palestine, located 10km north of Jerusalem.

21. RAYA


Photo: Tomswinegoa.com

Raya is the name of a collection of wines produced from a vineyard near Bangalore, India. The Malay word raya means “to celebrate.”

22. RASA


Photo: Liquourgenie.com

Rasa is the name of a type of wine made in the Sula Vineyards located in Maharashtra, India. In Malay, the word rasa means “to taste” or “to feel.”

23. SABRINA


Photo: Eurodisti.com

Sabrina is the name of a brand of gin found in Nigeria. Sabrina is a feminine name romanized from the Arabic word sabr, meaning “patience.”

24. SAYANG


Photo: Vivino.com

Sayang is the name of a wine brewed in France. The word sayang in Malay either means “to love” or “to go to waste.”

25. TANYA


Photo: Tanyawinery.co.il

Tanya is the name of a boutique winery in Israel. In Malay, the word tanya means “to ask.”

26. YAHYA


Photo: Yahyawines.com

Yahya is a brand of rose wines from Rheinhessen, Germany. Yahya. The name means “God is Gracious” in Arabic and is also the name of an Islamic prophet.

Mana Kapak

Puak triger diketawa lagi aduhhhh

jangan kena tipu by PAS n umno, erection kambing, PAS n umno sengaja make noise to stay relevant

is there a limit in presenting things halal or non-halal in any language??

language is a form of expression kan??

Respect those people yang so rajin to search and compiled these info.

awak tidak minum arak kan ??

then why this stupid PAS supporter so busybody about the name ??

they failed in teaching their own children ka ??

their children so BODOH buying wine or alcoholic beverages because of the name ka ??

so BODOH la this issue

PUKI MARK HADI

sayang pun cannot?

Nothing else better to do

Thanks Yeu-Gynn Yeung, now some nbtd people will have a field day kecam all these brands after they finish tuai tanaman sendiri.

Puak PAS diketawakan lagi. Dah bodoh, lagi tunjuk kebodohan.

PuAS tak puas

Got laugh at and got Merc car... wonder who is the person laughing

The Merc is just temporary.

Why use foreign brand as a comparison
Its pointless. Isn't it?

TIMAH suddenly became international famous.
Is it possible the viral is intentionally to make TIMAH more popular.
Is it possible got some stakeholders want some TIMAH pie.
Or is it possible to go start figuring out stakeholders for TIMAH pie.
Is it possible TIMAH need to start evaluating their base.
If majority of the community require TIMAH to do whatever, then what is TIMAH company options

How do you know its temporary

this one cheap plak punya,.. only bangla drink,..

Only sohai vote them by staying relevant in such a way.

Sohai deserve whatever shit this nation become.

habis lar all name kena claim malay

Suru puak Pas dan CAP baca ni

Bumi ini milik siapa?

Main issue is arak causes people to crash car and kill other people. Ban pls.

Ban all

Including smoking

Stamp with 51%

be careful TS, later mudah triggered butthurt ...

Aisha hmm…….

Yahya = John the Baptist

PASt satu hari tak sohai tak boleh. Tipu followers buat sendiri kaya.

PAS has only 16 MP & not enough MP to make noise in each of the drink. They need 10 more MP to cover all 26 alcohol drink.

dun think so.
only certain people want to stir shit and make it as a problem. they think this world revolve around them. we really need to eliminate PAS. memalukan negara only.

your party/state also got so many problem, want find and fix another problem? cilaka

Itulah masalah dap and venakular school..
Xtau Beza timah atau fatimah. Owai

This thing is getting boring to be honest.

I have heard points from both sides (PuAS and not PuAS).
And many points are repetitive, like this article.
But what makes this article new is Yeu-Gynn Yeung went google search all these brands.
Appreciate his effort. But for me it's not creative liao.

This post has been edited by Sycamore: Oct 23 2021, 02:56 PM

Hahahahaha this is good

They missed out Hadi

Hahaaa any international ABC spelt with a coincidentally meaning to a malay word is exclusively expressed.. wooeeiiii

This post has been edited by jojolicia: Oct 23 2021, 03:07 PM

Should be proud of it, mean they value bm and arab by using it as brand name, ohwait...

Omg! Marah/riot besar-besaran this friday?