Beverage trends, much like the food trends that they complement, are often ephemeral — today’s beverage of choice may be tomorrow’s passé potable in a molecular minute. Nonetheless, some concepts, especially those with roots in the traditions of terroir, such as locally produced wines and spirits, remain popular year after year.
The culture of drinking Baijiu, which translates to white alcohol, runs deep in China. Now the country is taking the next step to ensure the gem becomes a consumption choice for more people in the world. Although Baijiu is a time-honored tradition with thousands of years of history, official data show that less than 0.1 percent of China’s Baijiu annual production (between 11 billion and 17 billion liters) is exported.
In the 2018 Brand Finance Spirits 50 report, Moutai grew by 73%, followed by Wuliangye baijiu, which was also the fastest-growing spirit on the list. The brand grew 161% year-on-year to US$14.6 billion. Yanghe baijiu overtook Johnnie Walker blended Scotch whisky for third place, up 82% to US$7.8bn.
Mulled wine has long been Brits’ festive tipple of choice, but there’s a new contender on the drinks scene – and it’s not for the faint-hearted. High-proof Chinese spirit baijiu – which has a ‘polarising’ savoury flavour – has been tipped to take the UK by storm according to industry experts.
China’s mission to protect its economy now includes a college where students study booze. The US$58 million school – built in just nine months and so new that plastic still covers the surveillance cameras – is one outpost in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s national push to rethink the country’s growth recipe as trade frictions with the United States intensify.
YIBIN, China – China’s mission to protect its economy now includes a college where the students study booze. This $58 million school – built in nine months and so new that plastic still covers the surveillance cameras – is one outpost in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s national push to rethink the country’s growth recipe as trade frictions with the United States intensify.
Ming River Sichuan Baijiu, a brand that launched earlier this year, has won double gold at the 2018 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition. The double gold award is the highest award given at the competition, signifying a gold medal rating from all judges.
LA Fashion Week is an organization to raising the profile of fashion in the U.S. and hosted in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The event was hosted each March and October with more than 20,000 influencers and celebrities attended this event.
Can China’s misunderstood national spirit level up at home—and then go global? Earlier this year, I made the 14-hour flight from New York to Beijing for the first time and figured it was time to revisit my acquaintance with baijiu (roughly pronounced “bye-joe”), China’s traditional national spirit and the most-consumed liquor on the planet.
The translucent Chinese liquor is the most popular spirit in the world, but which few will have drunk outside of China. The liquor, a favourite among China’s first generation of revolutionaries and the tipple of choice at wedding banquets and business dinners, can be made from grains and sorghum, and has an alcoholic strength varying between 38% abv to 68% abv.