baijiu

Baijiu (), or 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 starter (qū) for fermentation to create a distinct and characteristic flavor profile.

Key facts

Beverage.name: Baijiu
Beverage.image: Jiugui.jpg
Beverage.caption: A glass and bottle of “Jiugui” () brand baijiu
Beverage.type: Distilled beverage
Beverage.abv: 35–60%
Beverage.proof: 70–120
Beverage.origin: China
Beverage.region: East Asia
Beverage.color: Clear
Beverage.variants: light aroma, strong aroma, sauce aroma, rice aroma, phoenix aroma, mixed aroma, chi aroma, sesame aroma, medicine aroma, extra-strong aroma, special aroma, laobaigan, small qu baijiu
Beverage.related: shōchū, soju, huangjiu, mijiu, sake
Chinese.child: yes
Chinese.c: 白酒
Chinese.l: "white (clear) liquor"
Chinese.p: báijiǔ
Chinese.w: pai2-chiu3
Chinese.j: Baak6 Zau2
Chinese.y: baahk-jáu

via Wikipedia infobox

~26 min read

Encyclopedic overview

17 sections

Contents

History
Serving
Traditional etiquette
Modern etiquette
Baijiu and Chinese business culture
Pricing and the baijiu market
Global baijiu market
International production
Classification
By aroma profile
Regional varieties
Popular infusions
Baijiu brands
Western Provincialism
See also
References
External links

Baijiu is usually distilled from fermented sorghum, although other grains may be used; some southeastern Chinese varieties may employ rice and glutinous rice while others may use wheat, barley, millet, or Job's tears () in their mash bills. The qū used in the production of baijiu is usually made from pulverized wheat grain or steamed rice.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “baijiu” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.