Flying Sky Moutai/Wuliangye: 10 Classic Baijiu Recommendations Must-Try According to Experts (Part 1)

Chinese Baijiu, known as the "liquid culture" passed down for thousands of years, plays a significant role in the long history of Huaxia. After thousands of years of sedimentation and improvement, it is not merely an alcoholic beverage but a crystallization of culture, art, and craftsmanship. Whether for festive family feasts, business banquets, or gifts for friends, Chinese Baijiu has always become an indispensable delicacy in people's hearts with its unique flavor and profound cultural charm.

Here are ten classic Chinese Baijiu recommendations selected by experts, which have been widely recognized for their unique flavors and excellent quality:

1.       Kweichow Moutai

• Origin: Maotai Town, Renhuai City, Guizhou Province

• Type: Sauce Aroma Type

• Tasting Characteristics: As one of the world's three major distilled spirits, Moutai is renowned for its prominent sauce aroma, rich body, and long aftertaste. Its unique "Moutai aroma" comes from the fusion of up to 300 aroma components, providing a smooth entry and prolonged finish, with lasting fragrance left in an empty glass.

• Representative Products: 53-degree Flying Moutai, Moutai Prince, Five-Star Moutai

Reasons for Recommendation:

1. Historical and Cultural Value: Guizhou Moutai has over 800 years of brewing history, is one of the four famous wines in China, and is celebrated internationally as the "national liquor."

2. Unique Brewing Process: The brewing process of Moutai is extremely intricate, involving multiple fermentations and distillations, with a production cycle lasting up to five years. This ensures its quality is stable and its flavor unique.

3. Scarcity and Collectible Value: Due to limited annual production, Guizhou Moutai is in high demand, especially certain vintage bottles that become coveted by collectors, with significant appreciation potential.

4. First Choice for High-End Business and Social Occasions: As a premium Baijiu, Moutai is often used in state banquets, business gatherings, and important festivals, symbolizing identity and status.

2.       Wuliangye 

• Origin: Yibin City, Sichuan Province

• Type: Strong Aroma Type

• Tasting Characteristics: Wuliangye features a rich flavor profile, with a full body that carries a subtle hint of fruit and floral aromas, with an enduring aftertaste. Its scent is elegant and pure, with a smooth entry and a sweet, soft palate, giving a warm and comfortable throat feel.

• Representative Products: Wuliangye Pu Wu Series, Wuliangye 1618, Wuliang Spring

Reasons for Recommendation:

1. Unique Brewing Craftsmanship: Wuliangye employs the "12987" process, which involves a one-time use of five kinds of grains (sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, wheat, and corn), going through two fermentations, nine boilings, eight fermentations again, and seven extractions. This complex process ensures that each drop of liquor showcases the flavors of multiple grains.

2. Historical and Cultural Heritage: The history of Wuliangye can be traced back to ancient times and became a tribute product during the Song Dynasty. Its brand name is derived from the exquisite combination of five grains, showcasing the diverse charm of Chinese Baijiu culture.

3. Suitable for Various Occasions: Wuliangye, with its premium quality and good taste, is often used for important gatherings, festivals, and business invitations, making it a respectable choice.

3. Luzhou Laojiao

• Origin: Luzhou City, Sichuan Province

• Type: Strong Aroma Type

• Tasting Characteristics: Luzhou Laojiao has a rich aroma and a full-bodied taste, featuring the unique flavor of "Luzhou aroma." The liquor is clear or slightly yellow, emitting an enticing fragrance when opened, providing a smooth, sweet sensation upon tasting, with a lasting aftertaste.

• Representative Products: Guojiao 1573, Luzhou Tequ, Luzhou Touqu

Reasons for Recommendation:

1. Rich History and Culture: The brewing skills of Luzhou Laojiao can be traced back to the Qin and Han dynasties, and its national treasure-level cellar group was established during the Ming Dynasty's Wanli period (1573 AD), being hailed as the birthplace of Chinese Strong Aroma Baijiu.

2. Unique Brewing Process: Luzhou Laojiao adopts traditional solid-state fermentation and mud cellar fragrance production, along with the microbial environment of the four hundred-year-old cellars, enhancing the liquor’s richness and complexity.

3. High-Quality Raw Materials: The sorghum used comes from local organic growing bases, and the water source is from the Longquan Spring, rich in beneficial trace elements, ensuring the purity and quality of the liquor.

4. International Recognition and Awards: Luzhou Laojiao has received awards in numerous international competitions, with its product Guojiao 1573 regarded as a standard-grade liquor for appreciating Chinese Baijiu, and it has been included in multiple cultural heritage lists.

4. Yanghe Dream Blue

• Origin: Suqian City, Jiangsu Province

• Type: Strong Aroma Type

• Tasting Characteristics: Yanghe Dream Blue features a smooth and sweet taste, with a rich layering sensation. Its aroma is elegant, with subtle hints of fruit and floral fragrances, providing a long-lasting aftertaste suitable for younger consumers.

• Representative Products: Dream Blue M9, Dream Blue M6, Dream Blue M3

Reasons for Recommendation:

1. Quality Brewing Technology: Yanghe Dream Blue employs traditional solid-state fermentation and selects high-quality raw materials like sorghum, rice, and wheat, undergoing a super long fermentation of 180 days and 15 years of aging, resulting in a fuller body and gentle taste.

2. Market Positioning: As the high-end series from Yanghe Distillery, Dream Blue focuses on the ultra-premium Baijiu market, aiming to meet the high-quality demands of consumers.

3. Good Reputation and Award Records: Dream Blue has won gold medals in multiple international competitions, with its exceptional quality and unique flavor being favored by consumers.

4. Exquisite Packaging Design: The bottle design of Dream Blue is simple yet elegant, with Dream Blue M6+ winning the "World Star" packaging award in 2024, making it suitable as a gift or for personal collection.

5. Fenjiu

• Origin: Xinghua Village, Fenyang City, Shanxi Province

• Type: Light Aroma Type

• Tasting Characteristics: Fenjiu is known for its fresh and elegant aroma and smooth, sweet taste. It enters softly, has a sweet finish, and long aftertaste, showcasing its unique light fragrance style.

• Representative Products: Qinghua Fenjiu, Xinghua Village Fenjiu

Reasons for Recommendation:

1. Long Historical Culture: Fenjiu has over 2000 years of brewing history, making it one of the most historically significant Baijiu in China. As early as the Northern and Southern dynasties, Fenjiu was praised as the imperial liquor, receiving acclaim across different dynasties.

2. Unique Brewing Process: Fenjiu employs the traditional process of "clear steaming twice and solid-state separation fermentation," ensuring the purity and quality of the liquor, allowing every drop to fully demonstrate its light aromatic characteristics.

3. High-Quality Raw Materials: The sorghum, barley, and peas used are sourced from unpolluted high-quality farmlands, along with spring water from Xinghua Village, providing Fenjiu a solid foundation.

4. Wide Market Recognition: Fenjiu has received multiple awards both domestically and internationally, including a gold medal at the 1915 Panama International Exposition, and has been selected as an important liquor for state banquets in the early years of New China.