By Jim Boyce | Baijiu writer Derek Sandhaus has publicly thrown his hat in the ring with Ming River, a project that involves Bill Isler, Simon Dang and Matthias Heger of the Beijing bar Capital Spirits and mega spirits company Luzhao… Continue Reading
By Jim Boyce | David Zhou of Confucius Wisdom has supported World Baijiu Day since its founding in 2015 and we finally managed to meet yesterday in Beijing. We put our time to good use by sampling some baiju. Originally… Continue Reading
By Jim Boyce | How about a baijiu recipe that uses willow branches, cotton paper, egg whites and pig blood? In fact, those are only the materials used for the vessels—known as jiu hai or “wine sea”—and used by baijiu… Continue Reading
By Jim Boyce | I headed to Henan province in April for the first China Jiahu Culture Festival (中国贾湖文化节) and International Symposium on Jiahu Liquor Culture (贾湖文化国际研讨会). Jiahu in Wuyang Country has a long boozy history, with evidence as old as… Continue Reading
By Jim Boyce | While my friends back home in Canada tend to be curious about baijiu, I can’t say the same is true of those I have in Beijing. Too many devastating “ganbei” sessions have turned many of them… Continue Reading
Brinkman Beverages, which represents brands such as Martin Miller’s gin, Ron Abuelo rum and Green Fairy absinthe, has added baijiu label ByeJoe to its China portfolio The company is carrying all three ByeJoe products, including its flagship spirit and infusions Dragon… Continue Reading
Baijiu producers beyond China are pretty rare, with Vinn in Portland and Taizi in Christchurch among the best examples. A relatively new Canadian brand called Dragon Mist Distillery in British Columbia seems a good candidate to join them. From the company’s website:… Continue Reading
Look for baijiu brand Guotai to launch its products in at least a half-dozen U.S. states this fall. Sales manager Mauricio Garzon says distributors have been found in numerous regions but that he is ultimately looking to cover the entire country. The official… Continue Reading
I made the short trip from Beijing to Baoding last week to visit a baijiu factory that I was told used unusual containers. Turns out the company, Yimuquan, is using some 68-year-old containers made from willow branches — the ongoing civil war at… Continue Reading
Jim Rice, CEO of Sichuan Swellfun, is going upmarket. High-end baijiu sales have been hit hard since the central government launched an austerity campaign two years ago, but Rice sees opportunities in the premium niche, including for his company’s brand, Shuijingfang,… Continue Reading