Maotai

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For Maotai wine's producer, please refer to Kweichow Moutai Company.
Maotai

Traditional Chinese: 茅台酒
Simplified Chinese: 茅台酒
Hanyu Pinyin: Máotái jiǔ

Maotai, or Moutai (the latter spelling used by the producing company) (SSE: 600519), is arguably the most famous Chinese liquor, or baijiu.

It is produced in a town called Maotai, in the city of Renhuai (仁怀市), under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Zunyi, in the Guizhou province of southwestern China. It is believed that the town of Maotai possesses a unique climate and vegetation that contributes to the taste of the drink. Maotai, which is classified as "sauce-flavoured" (酱香, jiangxiang) because it offers an exceptionally pure, mild, and mellow soy sauce-like fragrance that lingers after it is consumed, is distilled from fermented sorghum and now comes in different versions ranging in alcohol content from the standard 53% by volume down to 35%.

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[edit] History

Maotai is named after the town with the same name near Zunyi in Renhuai, Guizhou Province, where winemaking has a very long history. The Maotai of today originated during the Qing Dynasty and first won international fame when winning a gold medal at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. In addition, Maotai was also named a national liquor in 1951, two years after the founding of People's Republic of China. Maotai also claimed two gold medals separately at the Paris International Exposition in 1985 and 1986.[1] Maotai has won 14 international awards and 20 domestic awards since the Chinese Revolution.[2]

Maotai has been used on official occasions in feasts with foreign heads of state and distinguished guests visiting China. It is the only alcoholic beverage presented as an official gift by Chinese embassies in foreign countries and regions. It received additional exposure in China and abroad when Zhou Enlai used the liquor to entertain Richard Nixon during the state banquet for the U.S. presidential visit to China in 1972. It is one of China's official state banquet wines and claims to be one of the world's three best known liquors (together with whisky and cognac).

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Maotai became the first Chinese liquor to be produced in large-scale production with an annual output of 170 tons.[3] In 2007, more than 6,800 tons of Maotai were sold.[4]

Maotai current sells over 200 tons of Maotai to over 100 countries and regions across the world.[5]

[edit] Market share

According to an article named "Pouring a Big One" posted in the May 2008 edition of China Economic Review, Vin & Sprit (V&S) claims that baijiu is the world's most popular spirit, with annual sales volume of 520 million 9-liter cases compared to vodka with 497 million 9-liter cases.

In this article, Maotai is reported to rank second in terms of market share compared with other Baiju brands. The following is a list of baijiu brands with their respective market share.

  • Wuliangye(五粮液) 45%
  • Kweichew Maotai (贵州茅台) 30%
  • Guojiao 1573 (国窖 1573) or National Cellar 1573 10%
  • Shuijingfang(水井坊) 10%
  • Others 5%

[edit] Price

As of May 1, 2008, the price of 15, 30 and 50 year old Maotai will increase to the following prices as listed below:

  • 15 Years Maotai - retail price: HK $7,680 (~USD $984)
  • 30 Years Maotai - retail price: HK $13,880 (~USD $1779)
  • 50 Years Maotai - retail price: HK $19,800 (~USD $2538)

[edit] News

In 2007, it was reported that pollution from 39 illegal liquor plants on the Chishui River was threatening the water from which Maotai is made.[6]

On September 24, 2007, it was reported that 2,500 bottles of fake Maotai were seized and is considered the biggest seizure of fake Maotai.[7]

[edit] External links

[edit] See also