Before colonization the Anlo brewed kpótomenui. In the early 1930s the Gold Coast outlawed local distillation to protect import-duty revenue. Demand exploded anyway. Even schoolboys could find it, and cane farming spread in Anlo to feed stills.

After independence Nkrumah legalized it, set up the first Volta factory and the Distillers Cooperative. Stigma lingered, but bars like Accra’s Republic (2013+) and today’s premium distillers reframed it as heritage craft, the same arc as cachaça in Brazil.

In Sept 2026 Ghana opened the GI process (Registrar-General + 7 producing regions) to lock the name like Champagne/Tequila.