A Malaysian Durian Liqueur Journey: From Dorian-Inside to Myzduri Musang King

Sep 1

5 min read

Durian has always been more than another tropical fruit in Malaysia. For people who love it, especially Musang King, its aroma, creamy character and bittersweet intensity are unmistakable. That distinctive identity also created an unusual development challenge: could the character of Malaysian durian be carried into a liqueur without becoming merely a novelty?

For Myzduri founder Owen Poh, that question belongs to an earlier chapter of his beverage-development journey, years before Myzduri. This article documents how that durian-liqueur idea developed, using contemporary public sources, while clearly separating those historical brands and businesses from the Myzduri brand of today.

The early development question: how to keep durian recognisable

Contemporary coverage by Vulcan Post identified Owen Poh Choon Ho as the founder of Tropical Wine Sdn Bhd and described Dorian-Inside as the company's first successful Musang King durian liqueur. The company had been established to develop alcoholic beverages around Malaysian tropical fruits.

The central challenge was not simply to add a durian flavour to alcohol. Musang King already has a powerful sensory identity. Any credible durian liqueur had to preserve enough of the fruit's recognisable aroma and character while producing a stable beverage that could be bottled, presented and shared beyond the short fresh-fruit season.

The SEBA 2019 profile later described Dorian-Inside as Owen Poh's “brainchild” and recounted the formation of a team to develop an undistilled Musang King liqueur. It records the first batch as being released in June 2017.

2017: from development work to a commercial batch

Independent reporting by WORLD OF BUZZ also dates the first commercial batch to June 2017. The product was known as Dorian-Inside and was based on Musang King durian.

This stage matters in the development story because it moved the idea from experimentation into a repeatable commercial product. It also began testing whether durian lovers would accept a familiar Malaysian fruit in an unfamiliar alcoholic format.

2018: recognition helped establish durian liqueur as a category

On 10 September 2018, contemporary media reported that Dorian-Inside received Malaysia Book of Records recognition for “First Commercial Durian Liqueur”. The milestone was covered by WORLD OF BUZZ and later referenced in other Malaysian media.

A separate 2018 Oriental Daily Chinese-language feature reported on the development process, the formation of a specialist team and the effort to take the Musang King beverage into wider markets. In that report, Owen was identified in Chinese as 傅春和 and as the founder and chief executive associated with the project at the time.

Vulcan Post reported in October 2018 that more than 20,000 bottles had been sold locally and in China. That figure is reported here as a historical media claim from the period, not as a present Myzduri sales figure.

2019: regional attention and the Singapore chapter

The idea of durian in an alcoholic beverage continued to attract attention outside Malaysia. In 2019, a product marketed in Singapore as Durian Whisky became a widely discussed example.

Later reporting by Mothership Singapore stated that the product had been said to be created by Malaysian company Tropical Wine Sdn Bhd. This historical connection is useful in understanding how Malaysian durian-based alcoholic beverages gained regional visibility.

For clarity, the Singapore product, Dorian-Inside and today's Myzduri Musang King are not presented here as one continuing brand. They belong to different commercial chapters. The relevance is the development experience and the continuing potential of durian as a Malaysian fruit-ligueur category.

What the earlier work taught about Musang King

Musang King works differently from a neutral flavour. Durian lovers already have a strong reference point in their minds. They know the aroma, richness and bittersweet character they expect. That means the product succeeds only when people can still recognise the fruit rather than merely read the word “durian” on a label.

The earlier development journey also demonstrated that novelty alone is not enough. A new category must survive tasting, repeat exposure and commercial presentation. Recognition and media attention may open the door, but the liquid itself still has to persuade the person tasting it.

A new and separate chapter: Myzduri Musang King

Today, Myzduri by Miriztika develops its own Malaysian tropical-fruit cocktail liqueur collection. Nutmeg remains Myzduri's flagship product, anchored by the heritage of Balik Pulau, Penang. Musang King Durian is an important second strategic pillar, while Bird's Nest & Goji remains another strong crowd-puller in the collection.

The current Myzduri Musang King is therefore best understood as a new chapter in a long-running interest in what Malaysian durian can become as a beverage. Myzduri does not need to claim ownership of earlier brands to continue developing the category.

Recent Myzduri tasting events have reinforced the reason to keep exploring it. Durian lovers have responded strongly, with genuine Google feedback describing the drink as “榴莲味十足” — full of durian flavour — and as unusual but enjoyable and worth recommending.

Why durian liqueur still has room to grow

Malaysia already owns an extraordinary cultural and commercial association with durian. A thoughtfully made Musang King liqueur can extend that identity into gifting, celebrations, hospitality and discovery without pretending to replace fresh durian itself.

For Myzduri, the objective is not to make every product compete for equal attention. Nutmeg continues to lead the brand. Durian earns a parallel development path because its audience reacts with unusual intensity when the flavour is right. That makes it a product capable of becoming a game changer when market conditions and customer response align.

The next chapter should therefore be judged the same way the earlier one was: keep developing, put the product in front of real durian lovers, listen carefully to what they recognise in it, and measure whether that enthusiasm becomes genuine paid demand.

Historical brand and ownership note

Historical brand names, company names and trademarks in this article are used descriptively to identify documented past products, businesses and events. This article does not state or imply that Myzduri presently owns, controls or succeeds to Dorian-Inside, Tropical Wine's historical brands, or the Singapore Durian Whisky brand. No press photographs have been reproduced in this article; the linked publications remain the source of their own editorial material.