ABOUT BAIJIU
What is baijiu?
Baijiu pronounced bye-j’yo, meaning “white spirits” in Mandarin, is a category that encompasses all traditional Chinese grain spirits. With respect to production methods, ingredients, flavor and origin, it is distinct from all other distilled spirits. No two baijius are alike—they can be as different as whiskey and tequila— and they are sorted by regional styles.
Like most baijiu, Ming River is distilled from sorghum. It is classified as a strong-aroma “Sichuan” baijiu, the most popular style in China for its fruity, floral aromatic notes.
What are the different styles of baijiu?
In all there are about a dozen distinctive regional styles of baijiu, but four styles make up the bulk of the market: strong aroma, light aroma, sauce aroma, and rice aroma.
Light-aroma baijiu is most popular in northern China. It is made from sorghum and sometimes uses qu made from barley and peas. It is fermented in stone pots or pits, and it is best known for short production cycles with minimal aging periods. It has a light body with floral notes and the mellow sweetness of dried fruit.
Strong-aroma baijiu is popular throughout China but is most closely associated with Sichuan Province. It uses wheat qu and continuous fermentation in earthen pits. It is distilled from sorghum, sometimes in combination with other grains. It is notable for its robust body with notes of tropical fruit, anise, and pepper.
Sauce-aroma baijiu, as in soy sauce, comes from Guizhou Province and is made from sorghum fermented in pits lined with stone bricks. Its mash is fermented and distilled eight times in the course of a year. The flavor is rich and umami, with notes of mushroom, caramel and bitter herbs.
Rice-aroma baijiu is associated with southeastern China, particularly Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. It is distilled from rice fermented with rice-based small qu. Unique to this category is the occasional use of continuous distillation. It has a light body similar to vodka, with notes of flowers and honey.
Learn more about baijiu at DrinkBaijiu.com
