This year February 1st is the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival. It is regarded as the most important occasion for Chinese families to gather for an annual reunion dinner. There will be wines opened for celebration, but Chinese liquor like Huangjiu and Baijiu remain the top choices for the Chinese palate. See some of our offers below…
Huangjiu
Huangjiu has a history of more than 2500 years. For a very long time, huangjiu was the favourite alcohol of the elite. Its virtues were celebrated by poets and scholars. Huangjiu‘s prestigiousness was only overtaken by baijiu in the last century. Huangjiu is most popular in the Yangtze Delta. It is brewed by fermenting boiled grains such as rice and glutinous rice. The fermented liquid is then matured in pottery jars for up to 20 years. As its name suggests, huangjiu’s colour ranges from yellow to brown depending on the length of ageing period. Layers of flavours and fragrance are developed over these long years of maturation. It has a sherry-like character and its sweetness can range from dry to sweet.
5 Years Old Nu’erhong - $21.99
Get a sense of how huangjiu tastes like by trying this 5 year old Nu’erhong (“Daughter Red”). It’s a semi-dry huangjiu at a very affordable price. Nu’erhong evolved from the tradition of burying the huangjiu for maturation when a daughter is born right up until her wedding day. Traditionally, the containers are painted red but nowadays they can be any bright colour.
Baijiu
Believe it or not, the top five most valuable spirits brands in the world in 2021 are all baijius*. Baijiu is a colourless liquor distilled from fermented sorghum and other grains. Its history is shorter than huangjiu, dating back to seven centuries ago when the Chinese learned the distillation technique. In early days, its popularity was overshadowed by huangjiu and baijiu was considered as a blue-collar drink. Baijiu gained ground in the early 20th century when modernisation enhanced the quality of baijiu. Awards received by some baijiu producers from an international competition in 1915 attracted attention from overseas. Fueled by being chosen as the national liquor by the Communist Party leader, baijiu became the most popular liquor in China in the last century. Baijiu’s strength is typically over 50% abv, so strong that it can catch on fire if you light a match to it! With numerous regional variations in baijiu production techniques, baijiu styles are categorized by the aroma profile. Without going into the names of all the four major and eight minor styles, strong-aroma and sauce-aroma styles are the most widely consumed, and the most valuable.
Strong-aroma Baijiu
Strong-aroma baijiu is mainly produced in Sichuan province. The spirit is distilled from fermented sorghum, and sometimes with other grains like wheat, barley, corn, rice and glutinous rice. Mud pits are filled with mash of the fermenting grains. Part of the mash will go to distillation. New fermenting grains are added to the remaining portion of the mash in the pits. This mud pits fermentation cycle will go on forever. Strong-aroma baijiu has a strong smell and tastes of pineapple, banana and anise. It is believed that the longer the mud pits have been used, the better the flavour of the baijiu.
Luzhou Laojiao Bainian $99.99
Luzhou Laojiao (“Old Pits”) is one of the oldest distilleries in Sichuan. They have more than 1600 fermenting pits that are over 100 years old. Their oldest pits have been continuously used since 1573. Luzhou Laojiao Bainian (“Hundred Years”) is distilled from mash coming from pits that are at least a century old. This is an excellent example of a high-quality Sichuan strong-aroma baijiu.
Sauce-aroma Baijiu
Sauce-aroma baijiu is mainly produced in Guizhou province. It has a savoury umami character that is reminiscent of fermented bean paste and soy sauce. There are lots of brands under this category but Kweichou Moutai is the leading brand in popularity and is the world’s most valuable spirit’s brand. Sorghum grains are fermented on the factory floor and then in stone pits. The whole production involves 8 cycles of fermentation and distillation over the course of a year. It is believed that the native flora of microorganisms living around the distillery is the secret that makes Moutai‘s signature character uncopiable outside the distillery.
Moutai Buliaojiu - $102.99
Moutai lovers in BC have been desperately craving for this as there has been no Kweichou Moutai coming to BC in the last 2 years. Why not take this opportunity to try Moutai Buliaojiu. The base spirit comes from the same distillery that makes Kweichou Moutai with longan berry, hawthorn, goji and Angelica dahurica added. In this Buliaojiu, one will find a resemblance of Kweichou Moutai at a fraction of the price
JAK’s has a wide and unique selection of Chinese liquor. Please come by for your bottle of huangjiu and baijiu to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Ganbei!
*Source: Brand Finance Alcoholic Drinks 2021
About the Author:
Thomas Chung manages our Richmond location. He has his WSET Level 3 in Wines and International Kikisake-shi (Sake Sommelier) Certification. He is also the first Master of Baijiu certified by Ming River Baijiu University. In his spare time, he spends time with family, runs marathons and has a true passion for researching beverages.