Can baijiu, China’s sorghum firewater, go global?
An ancient liquor tries to follow vodka and tequila
DISTILLERS AT Kweichow Moutai, the world’s most valuable alcoholic-drinks firm, like to tell an old story about their company’s first big break. It relates how, in 1915, Chinese officials chose to exhibit Moutai’s sorghum-based spirit at an exposition in San Francisco. When the doors opened the snooty American audience sneered at the delegation’s plain earthenware jars. Fearing disaster, or perhaps simply by accident, a Chinese delegate smashed one on the floor, releasing its aroma to the crowd. The scent and the commotion attracted the judges, who eventually awarded it a top prize.
The tale is told with relish to visitors in Maotai, the pretty riverside town in the south-western province of Guizhou that gave the company its name (the spelling of Kweichow Moutai is based on old-style romanisation). The medal the liquor won in San Francisco hangs in a corporate museum, next to a video-wall showing a re-enactment of the incident. That was the day, explains the exhibit, that the brand “went global”. Down a hill, in the heart of the town, is a plaza named “1915 Square” that hums with visitors. At its centre is a giant gold-painted monument in the shape of a cracked liquor jar.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline "Spirit of the pits"
More from China
Why China is unlikely to restrain Iran
Officials in Beijing are looking out for China’s interests, not anyone else’s
China’s young people are rushing to buy gold
They seek security in troubled times
China’s ties with Russia are growing more solid
Our columnist visits a future Russian outpost in China’s most advanced spaceport