By Scott Heidler, Islamabad Bureau

Rawalpindi, Pakistan ­ – After moving back to Pakistan last summer I was excited to return to a region I know well and report on the ever-changing political landscape here, but I was also looking forward to taking the time to put together some feature stories that put a face to Pakistan and her people.

Well, after eight months of a near-constant flow of hard news I was finally able to do a story I have been wanted to do for a long time.  A peek inside the Murree Brewery and Distillery in Rawalpindi, the large city just next to the capital Islamabad.

Pakistan was formed as an Islamic Republic as the British were dissolving their colony on the Indian subcontinent in 1947.  The nation was formed to be home for the Muslim people as partition came into play, dividing the former, massive colony.

There are some colonial hangovers that come up in normal Pakistani life; the train stations are very Raj era in appearance with wicker fans and pith helmets hanging on hooks (even if there’s a strong feeling that they have seen much better days), and the traffic cops still wear canary yellow ascots.

But my personal favorite is the Murree Brewery.  It was built in 1860 up in the Himalayan foothills in a place called Murree, but then moved down here in the 1920s as they needed land to expand that the mountain landscape did not allow. It was constructed by the British to provide beer for its army.

When the Brits started heading back in the late 1940s, CEO Isphanyar Bhandara’s grandfather bought a controlling share of Murree, and it has been in the Bhandara family ever since.  Isphanyar just took the helm last year after his father died.  The Bhandaras are part of a small non-Muslim Parsi ethnic group. That allowed them to legally run the brewery in a country where it’s illegal for Muslims to drink.  The company can only sell its alcoholic products to government approved hotels and wine shops.  They are only allowed to sell it to foreigners or non-Muslims.

Murree epitomizes family business, but not just because of the executives of the company. While we were taking our tour we met two men who had sons working at the brewery, one even has a grandson who is about to start.  We were told they were not an anomaly.

Check out the story that aired on FNC:

So, next time you’re in Pakistan make sure you grab a cold Murree brew — kshhh-unk (the best phonetic spelling I could come up with for the sound of a beer can opening.) Cheers!