Kweichow Moutai [500ML] [2023 Edition]

Maotai or Moutai is a style of baijiu, a distilled Chinese spirit made in the town of Maotai in China’s Guizhou province. Moutai is produced by the state-owned Kweichow Moutai Company. As of 2021, Kweichow Moutai Company is the largest beverage company in the world and China’s most valuable non-technology company after surpassing Diageo in 2017.

Maotai originated during the Qing Dynasty between 1644 to 1912, when northern Chinese distillers introduced advanced techniques to local processes to create a distinctive type of baijiu. At the time, Moutai was produced by several local distilleries and following the communist victory in the war, the government consolidated the local distilleries into one state-owned company. Two years after the founding of People’s Republic of China, Maotai was named a national liquor in 1951.

Maotai first gained international fame when winning a gold medal at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. Maotai also won 2 gold medals separately at the Paris International Exposition in 1985 and 1986. Since the Chinese Revolution, Maotai has won 14 international awards and 20 domestic awards.

Maotai has been used on official occasions in feasts with foreign heads of state and distinguished guests visiting China. It is also the only alcoholic beverage presented as an official gift by Chinese embassies in foreign countries and regions. Maotai’s brand influence grew most prominently when Zhou Enlai, the first Premier or informally known as Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China entertained Richard Nixon during the state banquet for the U.S Presidential visit to China in 1972. Deng Xiaoping, a Chinese revolutionary leader visited the United States in 1979 and entertained Henry Kissinger who was the Secretary of State with Maotai baijiu.

Moutai Baijiu is made from a mix of locally produced red sorghum, wheat and water without the addition of any artificial additives. From the selection of ingredients to the delivery of the finished product, the production cycle takes 5 years with no less than 30 processes and 165 different procedures. Bottled at 53% ABV.

Does Moutai change in the bottle?

Moutai is less fragile than wines and has greater longevity however, it does evolve over time in the bottle, due to a special yeast called “Qu” and uniquely different techniques of production, unlike whisky being aged in barrels for decades.