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James Patrick

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Bootleggers of Madagascar

August 26, 2017 in Photo

In secret valleys at the eastern limits of Madagascar's high plateau, toaka gasy (illegal super-strength rum) has been distilled for centuries.

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View fullsize These Isolated Valleys Have the Perfect Combination of Climate, Secrecy and Proximity to Madagascar's Cities and Have Emerged over the Centuries as the Source of Madagascar's Finest Toaka Gasy
View fullsize The Process Begins by Cutting and Crushing Sugarcane
View fullsize Toaka Gasy's Regional Flavours are Due to the Addition of Local Flavouring Plants Mixed with the Sugarcane
View fullsize Valley Residents form Collectives to Share the Back Breaking Labours of Moonshine Production
View fullsize Under a Scorching Sun the Team Painstakingly Pulp the Sugarcane Mix
View fullsize Airborne Yeasts Ferment the Mix In a Fired Hole in the Clay Soil
View fullsize After 1 Week the Mostly-Dry Mix is Dug Up and Bagged
View fullsize Toaka Gasy Is Distilled in Oil Drums from a Fermented Sugarcane Mix
View fullsize A Young Toaka Gasy Moonshiner Poses in his Distillery
View fullsize An Irrigation System from a Nearby Spring Cools the Evaporated Moonshine Which is Collected in Jerrycans
View fullsize Once a Smuggler, This Moonshine Veteran Is Now One of the Valley's Connoisseur-Middlemen, Dealing with the Producers and Smugglers
View fullsize The Only Access In or Out of the Valley is by Foot on 3 Hours of Mountain Trails
View fullsize Smugglers from These Remote Villages Are the Only Link Between the Valley Distilleries and The Black Markets to the West
View fullsize The Economy and Culture In These Villages is Dominated By Toaka Gasy
View fullsize Insatiable Demand and Impassable Roads Mean Tokagasy Smugglers Will Walk 100s of km to the Black Markets Bearing up to 60kg of Toaka Gasy
View fullsize Buying Toaka Gasy at the Black Market Regularly Turns into a Drinking Session
Tags: Madagascar, Moonshine, Toaka Gasy, Smugglers, Bootleggers, Homebrew, Sugarcane, Distillation, Betsileo
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