Baijiu


Baijiu, also known as shaojiu, is a Chinese clear, colourless liquor typically coming in between 35% and 60% alcohol by volume. Each type of baijiu uses a distinct type of Qū for fermentation unique to the distillery for the distinct and characteristic flavour profile.
Báijiǔ is a clear liquid usually distilled from fermented sorghum, although other grains may be used; some southeastern Chinese styles may employ rice or glutinous rice, while other Chinese varieties may use wheat, barley, millet, or Job's tears in their mash bills. The qū starter culture used in the production of baijiu is usually made from pulverized wheat grain or steamed rice.
Because of its clarity, baijiu can appear similar to several other East Asian liquors, e.g. Japanese shōchū or Korean soju, but it often has a significantly higher alcohol content. As innocent as it looks, its flavour can vary from simple, light and subtle-tasting to savoury-saucy rich-tasting, depends on the type. Baijiu is comparable to whiskey in terms of variation, complexity of flavour and sensation.

History

No exact dates are known for the invention of the modern form baijiu as it likely emegered gradually with the development of distillery technology over a long period of time through history. The history of Baijiu intertwined with the history of China.
Ming illustration of baijiu making process.
Baijiu is characterized by solid-state fermentation and distillation using a grain culture called qū, which allows for simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. This is a typical feature of liquors produced in East Asia. Chinese baijiu is always distilled from grain, produced in batches and blended., Sichuan. Each baijiu distillery has its own qu which contains a specific microbiome that would develop their branded flavour profile. The troughs in which qu is cultured are traditionally an inseparable part of the distillery.

Serving

Tradtional Drinking Etiquette

The Chinese traditionally serve baijiu neat at room temperature, in small cups or glasses, though drinkware varies by region. It is traditional to drink baijiu with food rather than on its own, though it is often infused with fruit or medicinal herbs and spices.
The ceremonial includes the following steps:
  1. Execute the Baili greeting to show respect to the host
  2. Spill a moderate amount of baijiu in the cup onto the ground to show gratitude to nature.
  3. Take a sip and taste the baijiu, and tell the host your opinion.
  4. Finish the baijiu in the small glass in one go after the Ganbei, clinking of glassess.
Note that the host should initate and invite for a cup, and the guest should reply with a cup.

Modern Drinking Etiquette

In modern days, ceremonial parts of the etiquettes are ignored. Commonly with a group of friends or family, the host would initate with "Cheers for....！"(为......干杯！）, then guests would finish their cups after clinking the glasses. Tasting is also appreciated.
Western style pub and bar culture has grown in popularity in major Chinese cities, so has a craving for a twist on the traditional baijiu. In 2007, a report in Time magazine mentioned integrating baijiu into cocktails, and in the years since several bars around the world have added baijiu to their cocktail programs.

Baijiu and Chinese Business Culture

Chinese business culture is known to be intense. It is believed that one's true colour is shown when intoxicated. Therefore when negotiating a business partnership, there is a tradition of serving high-degree baijiu on dinner table, in order to judge one's trustworthiness. There are also harmful folk beliefs, especially in rural China, that consuming alcohol excessively equates to manliness and that one should not reject a serving offered by an elderly or higher-up. Many inexperienced Chinese drinkers are persuaded to overdrink on such occasions. These experiences are commonly referred to as the reason for baijiu's unpopularity among some. This negative association of baijiu with extreme drinking culture can sometimes led to fear of baijiu in the younger generation or people who have yet to try the drink.
*Note that the situation described above may be present only in certain regions, not representative for all of China.

Pricing and the Baijiu Market

Although most baijiu are priced similarly to other liquors with similar alcohol percentage, some high-end baijiu can be highly collectible due to the intricate skills and traditional artisanship involved in the making of baijiu, the age of the baijiu, or the rarity of the bottle etc. With the gifting tradition in some areas of China, sometimes expensive baijiu could also be gifted instead of being consumed. There is a sizable market for high-end baijiu collection for the above reasons. For example, the highest grade of Wuliangye retails for .Top-tier baijiu are likely to be from traditional baijiu distillery such as Kweichow Maotai, Wuliangye, Luzhou Laojiao, Shuijing Fang etc.
On the opposite side of the spectrum. Low-end baijiu can be as inexpensive as a can of beer per volume. For example, Erguotou and Jiang Xiaobai. Although some despise the low ends for their taste, they are more casually consumed with meals, or just when drinkers want to simply get drunk.

Global Baijiu Market

Baijiu is the world's bestselling liquor, with five billion litres sold in 2016, and 10.8 billion liters sold in 2018, more than whisky, vodka, gin, rum and tequila combined. As well as the most consumed liquor, with 1.2 billion nine-liter cases consumed in 2018, mostly in China - three times the global consumption of vodka. Outside of China it is gaining popularity, as seen with the sale of Ming River Baijiu in US and EU markets from late 2010s, a Jiangxiang type baijiu sourced from the Luzhou Laojiao distillery. Baijiu-inspired cocktails are also gaining populatiy amoung the younger generation in metropoli such as Beijing and Shanghai.

Classification

Categorisation by Aroma Profile

Throughout the evolutionary history of baijiu, numerous regional variations in alcohol production technique across the country have been incorporated into baijiu making. The practice of infusing alcohol with herbs, spices, fruits and other ingredients has its roots in traditional Chinese medicine, but is also done purely for flavor. The practice of infusing spirits is a common practice.
Baijiu has a distinctive smell and taste that is highly valued in Chinese culinary culture, and connoisseurs focus especially on its fragrance. This classification system began in 1952 and was updated in August 1979 at the third nationwide baijiu competition held in Dalian. Even so, during the competition, experts rated various baijiu based on their taste rather than aroma.
There are 4 major categories of baijiu based on aroma profile:
  1. Qingxiang :
  2. * Delicate, dry, and light, with a smooth and light mouthfeel.
  3. * The flavours of this distilled liquor is contributed primarily by ethyl acetate and ethyl lactate, and give the spirit a taste of dried fruit with floral notes.
  4. * It is made from sorghum fermented in a stone vessel with qu made from wheat, barley and peas.
  5. * The two primary styles of this liquor are Fenjiu from Shanxi and Erguotou from Beijing, the latter of which is known as Kaoliang in Taiwan. Formerly this style was called Fenxiang "Fen-aroma" after the Xinghuacun-Fenjiu Distillery.
  6. Mixiang :
  7. * This class of liquor is exemplified by baijiu distilled from rice, such as Sanhuajiu from Guilin, Guangxi province.
  8. * This fragrance has long history and is made using rice-based Rhizopus spp.-type Qu starters. I
  9. * t has a clean sensation and a slight aroma, dominated by ethyl lactate with lesser flavour contributions by ethyl acetate.
  10. Nongxiang :
  11. * A class of distilled liquor that is sweet tasting and mellow, with a gentle lasting fragrance contributed by the high levels of esters, primarily ethyl hexanoate, which give the spirit a strong taste of pineapple, banana and anise.
  12. * Most alcohols of this aroma are distilled from sorghum, sometimes in combination with other grains, continuously fermented in mud pits.
  13. * This style is formerly known as Luxiang "Lu aroma", as it is thought to be invented in the Luzhou Laojiao Distillery in Luzhou, Sichuan province. Other notable examples of this type of liquor are Wuliangye from Yibin, Sichuan; Jiannanchun from Mianzhu, Sichuan; and Yanghe from Suqian, Jiangsu province.
  14. Jiangxiang :
  15. * A fragrant distilled sorghum liquor of bold character, named for its similarity in flavor to fermented bean pastes and soy sauces.
  16. * It is made from sorghum repeatedly fermented in stone brick pits. It has large amounts of ester compounds, which impart a layered savoury umami flavor.
  17. * A highly controversal profile - like it or hate it. Not recommended for beginners but highly recommende for experienced drinkers. Some consider it as funky. It is an acquired taste, like peaty whiskey.
  18. * To the initiated, it is considered a complement for preserved and pickled foods. This class was formerly known as Maoxiang "Mao-aroma", after the best known spirit of this class, Maotai. The Ming River Baijiu for the western market is also this category.
Various other niche aroma profiles:
Other than by aroma, Baijiu can also differ by styles, production methods, ingredients etc. Regional varieties of Baijiu are often somwhat unique in flavour profile and production method.
Some examples of regional varieties include:
Throughout the evolutionary history of baijiu, numerous regional variations in alcohol production technique across the country have been incorporated into baijiu making. The practice of infusing alcohol with herbs, spices, fruits and other ingredients has its roots in traditional Chinese medicine and herbology, but is also done purely for flavor. Infusing spirits is a common practice.
Floral infusions:
Medicinal infusions:
Baijiu are often characterised by their distillery. The distinct aroma and taste profile is likely to be the speciality of that region. Therefore often times the name of the brand is the same as the name of the baijiu and the distillery. However, bigger brands tend to have a series of different types of baijiu as well as their signature baijiu. Beginner is recommended to try the signature baijiu of the brand first, to learn about their style of baijiu making.
Due to its long history, almost every province in China has at least one regional speciality baijiu. However, Guizhou and Sichuan are the two biggest, particularly famous baijiu-making provinces, where numerous distilleries can be found. Below is a non-exhaustive list of relatively well-known Baijiu brands, grouped by place of origin, in descending order of popularity.
*Many other brands exist, but usually only produced, sold and consumed locally and therefore lesser-known and not included in the list.
Guizhou:
Sichuan:
, Guangxi, Red Star Erguotou from Beijing, Ming River from Luzhou, Sichuan and Maotai from Maotai, Guizhou.|244x244px
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Beijing:
Hebei:
Hunan:
Shanxi:
Shaanxi:
Anhui:
Jiangxi:
Jiangsu:
Guangdong:
Long-term excessive drinking of high-degree baijiu can lead to serious health consequences such as alcoholic cirrhosis. Drink moderately.