Kuala Lampur, Aug. 9 -- KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 9 - There's a certain gravity when Ayden Chong talks about tuak - not a performative zeal, but something closer to reverence.

Not the reverence of nostalgia, mind you, but the kind that comes from realising you're holding something precious in your hands: culture, memory, a people's pride.

Chong, a tuak aficionado from Ipoh, is one of three friends who co-founded Tuak Alus, a rice wine brand with roots in Sarawak's longhouses.

What began in 2018 as a quiet exploration of tradition has since become a mission: to preserve, modernise and, in his words, "celebrate Dayak heritage through rice wine."

That mission first stirred during Chong's inaugural Gawai Harvest Festival in Betong, Sarawak. The v...