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Maotai or Moutai is a style of
baijiu ''Baijiu'' (), also known as ''shaojiu'' (/), is a colorless Chinese liquor typically coming in between 35% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). Each type of baijiu uses its own type of ''qū'' for fermentation to create a distinct and charact ...
, a distilled Chinese liquor (
spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...
), made in the town of Maotai in China's
Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...
province. Produced by the state-owned
Kweichow Moutai Company Kweichow Moutai Co., Ltd. is a partial publicly traded, partial state-owned enterprise in China, specializing in the production and sales of the spirit Maotai baijiu, together with the production and sale of beverage, food and packaging mater ...
, it is distilled from
fermented Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food p ...
sorghum and comes in several different varieties. Maotai uses simple materials such as grain and water to produce its flavor. After four years of brewing in urns, it is ready to be sold. Maotai originated during the
Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...
(1644–1912), when northern Chinese distillers introduced advanced techniques to local processes to create a distinctive type of baijiu. Thereafter Maotai was produced at several local distilleries. During the
Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...
, People's Liberation Army forces camped at Maotai and partook of the local liquor. Following the Communist victory in the war, the government consolidated the local distilleries into one state-owned company, Kweichow Moutai (the name is an old romanization of "Guizhou Maotai"). It became a very popular drink at state functions and one of the country's most popular spirits.


History

Maotai became the first Chinese liquor to be produced in large-scale, with an annual output of 170 tons. In 2007, more than 6,800 tons of Maotai were sold. Maotai is named after the town of the same name near
Zunyi Zunyi () is a prefecture-level city in northern Guizhou province, People's Republic of China, situated between the provincial capital Guiyang to the south and Chongqing to the north, also bordering Sichuan to the northwest. Along with Guiyang an ...
in
Renhuai Renhuai () is a county-level city located in the north of Guizhou province, China, bordering Sichuan province to the west. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zunyi Zunyi () is a prefecture-level city in northern Gui ...
,
Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...
Province, where liquor distillery has a very long history. The Maotai of today originated during the
Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...
and first won international fame when winning a gold medal at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
. During the
Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...
, the current legend goes that the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...
used Maotai to lift the spirits of their soldiers and disinfect wounds during the Battle of Chishui River. The Red Army victory in this battle is widely recognised as one of the tipping points in their eventual victory over the Kuomintang forces. Ever since then, Moutai has been used at state banquets and celebrations. Maotai was named a national liquor in 1951, two years after the founding of People's Republic of China. Maotai also claimed two gold medals separately at the Paris International Exposition in 1985 and 1986. Maotai has won 14 international awards and 20 domestic awards since the Chinese Revolution. Maotai has been used on official occasions in feasts with foreign heads of state and distinguished guests visiting China. It is the only alcoholic beverage presented as an official gift by Chinese embassies in foreign countries and regions. It received wide exposure in China and abroad when
Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman Ma ...
used the liquor to entertain
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
during the state banquet for the U.S. presidential visit to China in 1972. Zhou told Nixon that Maotai had been famous since it won recognition at the San Francisco World's Fair in 1915, and that during the
Long March The Long March (, lit. ''Long Expedition'') was a military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the National Army of the Chinese ...
, "Maotai was used by us to cure all kinds of diseases and wounds." Nixon replied, "let me make a toast with this panacea." When
Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. After CCP ...
visited the United States in 1979,
Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...
told him "I think if we drink enough Moutai we can solve anything." Maotai became both the drink of choice for greeting foreign dignitaries and the bribe of choice to high officials. Counterfeiters moved in to meet the new demand, and other distilleries copied the methods of the state-owned enterprise. Maotai currently sells over 200 tons of Maotai to over 100 countries and regions across the world. In 2018, Maotai saw its output reach about 70,200 tons, with sales revenues reaching 73.6 billion yuan (about 10.5 billion dollars) and net profit 35.2 billion yuan (about 5 billion dollars).


Derivatives

Beginning 1960s, China had tried to increase the output of Maotai by expanding the production methodologies of Maotai for other
baijiu ''Baijiu'' (), also known as ''shaojiu'' (/), is a colorless Chinese liquor typically coming in between 35% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). Each type of baijiu uses its own type of ''qū'' for fermentation to create a distinct and charact ...
brands all over China, but none of the results are the exact duplicate of the original Maotai, and most of the derivatives of Maotai are of a heavy or thick fragrant flavor type, as opposed to the sauce fragrant flavor type. These attempts, however, did result in many more famous new brands of baijiu (Chinese liquor) based on Maotai, including: ; An Jiu () : Originally developed by Mr. Zhou Shaochen (周绍臣), who applied the sauce fragrant flavored Maotai production methodology for heavy/thick fragrant flavored liquor. The resulting product was initially called Zhou-Mao (周茅), meaning Maotai made by Zhou, until its rename as An Jiu in 1958, when the production plant was reorganized, eventually becoming
Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...
. More than two hundred forty types of traditional Chinese herbal medicine is added in the process, and the liquor is frequently referred by consumers as An Mao (安茅), meaning An derivative of Maotai. ; Baiyunbian Jiu () : Baiyunbian Jiu (meaning "Next to the White Cloud Liquor") is produced by Baiyunbian Group in Songzi,
Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...
. The main characteristic of Baiyunbian Jiu in its combined flavor, which is sauce fragrant flavor containing heavy/thick fragrant flavor. ; Beidacang Jiu () : Produced by
Heilongjiang Heilongjiang () formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a province in northeast China. The standard one-character abbreviation for the province is (). It was formerly romanized as "Heilungkiang". It is the northernmost and easternmost province ...
, this Chinese liquor uses the exact Maotai methodology, and resulting Beidacang (meaning Northern Great Granary) retained the sauce fragrant flavor of Maotai, and is thus often nicknamed as Northern Maotai (北国茅台) by local consumers. Heavy/thick fragrant flavored brand is also developed. ; Bichun Jiu () : Produced by Bichun Wine, Bichun Jiu (meaning "Blue-green Spring Liquor") traces its origin back in the 1960s as attempt to expand the production of Maotai. Using the methodology of Maotai production, Bichun Jiu is one of the few Maotai derivatives that retained the sauce fragrant flavor of the original Maotai, and hence is one of the two Chinese liquors nicknamed as Little Maotai (小茅台, the other being Jingshahuisha Jiu 沙回沙酒. ; Bijie Daqu () : Produced in Bijie, this Chinese liquor is heavy/thick fragrant flavored as most of the Maotai variants. ; Dong Jiu () : Dong Jiu was first developed in the late
Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...
in
Zunyi Zunyi () is a prefecture-level city in northern Guizhou province, People's Republic of China, situated between the provincial capital Guiyang to the south and Chongqing to the north, also bordering Sichuan to the northwest. Along with Guiyang an ...
region using Maotai methodology, but instead of ''greater '' (Aspergillus and yeast), ''lesser '' (Mucor, Rhizopus and yeast) is used instead. In addition, traditional Chinese herbal medicine are added. ; Guiyang Daqu () : Guiyang Daqu is produced by the municipal plant of Guiyang, which was created in 1950 by combining numerous smaller family type shops into a single large plant. Guiyang Daqu is a series of products consisted several brands, including the heavy/thick fragrant flavored Guiyang Daqu and sauce fragrant flavored Qian-chun Jiu (黔春酒, meaning
Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...
Spring Liquor), which retained the original flavor of Maotai. ; Guizhouchun () : Guizhouchun liquor is the first Chinese liquor with low level of alcohol, 35 degrees in comparison to 38 degrees of all other Chinese liquor of its time. Guizhouchun liquor is heavy/thick fragrant flavored baijiu. ; Guizhou Xunjiu () : Guizhou Xunjiu literally means
Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...
smoked liquor, and it is a new category of Chinese liquor produced by Guizhou Huali Yuchun Liquor Co. Ltd. This is the greatest divergence of Maotai variant in that the methodology was significantly modified, despite being based on the same principles of that of Maotai. The new flavor, smoked fragrant flavor, is created with the birth of Guizhou Xunjiu. ; Guizhouye () : Guizhouye (meaning
Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...
liquid) is developed by China Kweichow Maotai Group, the producer of Maotai, as a variant of heavy/thick fragrant flavor. ; Huangshantou Jiu () : Huangshantou Jiu (黄山头酒, meaning "Yellow Mountain Peak Liquor") is produced by
Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...
br>Huangshantou Liquor Co., Ltd. (湖北黄山头酒业有限公司)
The chief scientist responsible for the success of Huangshantou Jiu was Mr. Zhou Henggang (周恒刚, Nov 1918 - Jun 16, 2004), who was one of the chief scientists from 1965 to 1966 on Maotai production expansion research project. Knowledge gained from Maotai production expansion efforts were applied to other liquor makers and when Mr. Zhou was assigned to
Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...
Lotus Pond Liquor Factory (湖北藕池曲酒厂), the predecessor of Huangshantou Liquor Co. Ltd., to improve the product, Huangshantou Jiu was the result, and it is a heavy/thick fragrant flavored liquor. ; Huai Jiu () :Huai Jiu is produced by
Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...
, which traces it origin back in 1951, when it was formed with staff from Maotai plant. Huai Jiu uses identical Maotai production methodology and it is often referred as 2nd Maotai, (二茅台), one of the only two Chinese liquors awarded that honor (the other being Yaxijiao Jiu 溪窖酒. ; Jingshahuisha Jiu () : Jing sha hui sha (金沙回沙, meaning Golden Sand Returning Sand) liquor was first developed in northwestern
Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...
when Mr. Liu Kaiting (刘开庭), a Maotai technician taught local breweries the production methodology of Maotai, and the resulting product was almost identical to Maotai, and hence has been nicknamed as Little Maotai (小茅台), one of the only two Chinese liquors awarded that honor (the other being Bichun Jiu 春酒. Jing-sha-hui-sha liquor is one of the very few Maotai variants that retained the sauce fragrant flavor of the original Maotai. ; Jun Jiu () : Jun Jiu is a variant of Maotai produced by the
Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...
Duyun Duyun () is the capital of Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou province in the People's Republic of China. The area surrounding the city was affected by the Miao rebellion of 1735–36. The city participated in the uprising ...
Municipal Liquor Plant, a wholly owned subsidiary of
Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese pro ...
. Duyun Municipal Liquor Plant was formed on April 1, 1950 by combining several smaller breweries into one, and these small breweries produced Chinese liquor very similar to Maotai, and hence before being named as its current name Jun Jiu, their products were called Yun Mao (匀茅), meaning Maotai produced in Duyun. Jun Jiu has over a hundred kinds of traditional Chinese herbal medicines added during the production process, and has since developed into many derivative brands ; Laiyongchu Jiu () : This brand was developed by one Lai Yongchu (赖永初), one of the two Lai brothers who copied the Maotai production methodology at different plants located at alternative sites (the other brother is Lai Yongfeng 永峰 who developed Yaxijiao Jiu 溪窖酒. Laiyongchu Jiu are frequently referred as Lai Mao (赖茅), meaning Lai variant of Maotai. Mr. Lai Yongchu's son, Mr. Lai Shiqiang (赖世强) is the current CEO o
Guizhou LaiYongchu Spirit Co., Ltd (贵州赖永初酒业有限公司)
the company that makes Laiyongchu liquor, which is one of the predecessor of Maotai, and several new brands have been developed. ; Lang Jiu () : Lang Jiu (meaning "Man's Liquor") is one of the few Maotai variant that is able to have the same sauce fragrant flavor of the original Maotai, and it was one of the four alternative sites to experiment relocation of Maotai production. Lang Jiu plant is located in
Gulin County Gulin County ()is a county in the south of Sichuan Province, China, bordering Guizhou province to the north, south, and east. It is under the administration of Luzhou city. The county covers with a population of 833,000 in 200 Climate See al ...
, around 40 km away from the original Maotai plant and the original staff were from Maotai. Produced b
Langjiu Group
Lang Jiu series include brands such as Honghualang Liquor (红花郎酒, meaning Red Flower Man), Xinlang Liquor (新郎酒, meaning New Man's Liquor), Laolang Jiu (老郎酒 meaning Legacy Man's Liquor), Shexiangcangpin Liquor (奢香藏品 Luxury Fragrant Collection Liquor) and Langpaitequ Liquor (郎牌特曲, meaning Man's Brand Special ''Qu''). ; Meijiao () : Developed by Guizhou Meijiao Ltd, this derivative of Maotai consists of several brands, each belonging to either sauce fragrant type, or heavy/thick fragrance type. One unique characteristic of Meijiao is that it was the first Chinese liquor to have a new flavor, the tea fragrant flavor. ; Pingbajiao Jiu () : Produced in
Pingba County Pingba District () is a district of the city of Anshun, Guizhou Guizhou (; Postal romanization, formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in the Southwest China, southwest region of the China, People's Republic of China. ...
, this variant of Maotai is characterized by using both the ''greater '' (Aspergillus and yeast) and ''lesser '' (Mucor, Rhizopus and yeast), resulting in the mixed fragrance flavor. ; Qingxi Qing Jiu () : Qingxi Qing Jiu is a series of Chinese liquor derived from Maotai, produced in
Zhenyuan County, Guizhou Zhenyuan County () is a county of the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in the east of Guizhou province, China. Administrative divisions Zhenyuan county has eight towns, three townships and one ethnic township under its jurisdict ...
, and it includes brands such as Qing Xi Quan (青溪泉, meaning Green Creek Spring), Wu Yang Ye (舞阳液), Wu Li Xiang (五里香, meaning Five Miles Fragrance), and Qing Xi Daqu (青溪大曲). Qingxi Qing Jiu is an unusual variant of Maotai in that the series includes two type of fragrance, some brand is sauce fragrance like Maotai itself, while other brand is heavy/thick fragrance like most cheaper variants of Maotai. ; Xishui Daqu () : Xishui Daqu is produced in a plant on the bank of Chishui River (赤水河), and it is directly across from the plant of Lang Jiu (郎酒) on the opposite bank in
Gulin County Gulin County ()is a county in the south of Sichuan Province, China, bordering Guizhou province to the north, south, and east. It is under the administration of Luzhou city. The county covers with a population of 833,000 in 200 Climate See al ...
. This derivative of Maotai is heavy/thick fragrant type, but the production process is based on Chinese liquor of sauce fragrance type. ; Xi Jiu () : Xi Jiu is a brand of Maotai produced b
Guizhou Xijiu Ltd. (贵州习酒有限责任公司)
a wholly owned subsidiary o
China Kweichow Maotai Group
the producer of Maotai. The plant is in
Xishui County, Guizhou Xishui County () is a county in the north of Guizhou province, China, bordering Sichuan province to the southwest. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zunyi. It was the site of the 2009 Xishui sex trial. Education Yang ...
, approximately 50 km away from Maotai plant, but the environment is different enough to affect the ingredients, resulting in a new brand of Chinese liquor. ; Xiaohutuxian Jiu () : Produced by plants setup by Guangzhou Zhujiang Yunfeng Wine Ltd at the Maotai Town, and has developed various bands. This derivative of Maotai is heavy/thick fragrance type. ; Yaxijiao Jiu () : Production begin in 1922 when Lai Yongfeng (赖永峰), one the Lai brothers using identical Maotai production method at a new site in Yaxi town (鸭溪镇), and was so popular that it was nicknamed 2nd Maotai (二茅台), one of the only two Chinese liquors awarded that honor (the other being Hui Jiu . Currently produced b
Guzhou Yaxi Wine Ltd.
; Yuquan Jiu () : Yuquan Jiu (玉泉酒, meaning Jade Spring Liquor) is produced by
Heilongjiang Heilongjiang () formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a province in northeast China. The standard one-character abbreviation for the province is (). It was formerly romanized as "Heilungkiang". It is the northernmost and easternmost province ...
in Harbin, first revealed in 1975 after a year-long development, and the head of design team was Mr. Zhou Henggang (周恒刚, Nov 1918 - Jun 16, 2004), who was one of the chief scientists from 1965 to 1966 on Maotai production expansion research project. Knowledge gained from Maotai production expansion efforts were applied to other liquor makers and when Mr. Zhou was assigned to Yuquan Wine Factory, the predecessor of Yuquan Wine Co. Ltd., to improve the product, Yuquan Jiu was the result, and its main characteristic is in its combined flavor, which heavy/thick fragrant flavor containing sauce fragrant flavor. ; Zhuchang Jiu () : Produced with Maotai methodology with over thirty types of traditional Chinese herbal medicine added. ; Zhen Jiu () : Produced by Guizhou Zhenjiu Wine Company Limited. This brand was originally established as one of the experimental plants to expand the production of Maotai at alternative sites.Zhen Jiu 珍酒


Gallery

File:HK Wan Chai North 灣仔北 Grand Hyatt Hotel 保利集團 Poly Auction preview exhibits 拍賣 Moutai 貴州茅台酒 Maotai 大麯白酒 Sept 2017 IX1 01 label.jpg, A bottle of Maotai produced in 1983-1984 has an estimated price range of HK$115,000-173,000 (US$14,700-22,200) in an auction in
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
in 2017. File:HK Wan Chai North 灣仔北 Grand Hyatt Hotel 保利集團 Poly Auction preview exhibits 拍賣 Moutai 貴州茅台酒 Maotai 大麯白酒 Sept 2017 IX1 06.jpg, Vintage Maotai in the more common white porcelain bottles displayed in the same auction. File:HK Wan Chai North 灣仔北 Grand Hyatt Hotel 保利集團 Poly Auction preview exhibits 拍賣 Moutai 貴州茅台酒 Maotai 大麯白酒 Sept 2017 IX1 05 wine bottles.jpg, Maotai in red special version bottles


References

{{Chinese alcoholic beverages Baijiu Guizhou