🥃 Baijiu

Baijiu (白酒) is the Chinese spirit best known abroad through brands such as Moutai, and it is not one drink but a family. It is made from grain, most often sorghum, by solid-state fermentation with qu starter and distillation. The Chinese national standards of the GB/T 10781 series describe it by aroma type: there are more than twelve, and the most common, strong aroma (nongxiang), accounts for about 70% of production. ¹³

Qu is a mix of yeasts, molds and bacteria grown on grain; it comes as daqu, xiaoqu and fuqu. Xiaoqu is used mainly in the south for light-aroma baijiu, daqu and fuqu in the north. The fermented grain is distilled in a conical still called a zeng, and the young distillate is first stored in ceramic jars. Strong-aroma baijiu ferments in mud pits of 6–8 m³; its key aroma compound is ethyl hexanoate. ³⁴

Strong-aroma baijiu is made from cereals, mostly sorghum or a mix of corn, rice, millet, sticky rice and wheat. The fermented grain goes into a mud pit, usually 6–8 m³, sealed on top with yellow mud, and ferments for 60–90 days without air. Researchers count over 1,300 flavour compounds in this type. ⁴

Among the types best studied are strong, light, soy-sauce and rice aroma. Light-aroma baijiu is represented by Fenjiu from Shanxi, and it can use medium- or low-temperature daqu, xiaoqu or fuqu. Unlike other distilled liquors, baijiu uses only qu to convert starch and ferment; solid-state fermentation also sets it apart from other Northeast Asian spirits. ³⁵

The standards are being updated in parts: GB/T 10781.1-2021 (strong aroma) has applied since 1 April 2022, GB/T 10781.2-2022 (light aroma) since 1 February 2023, GB/T 10781.4-2024 (soy-sauce aroma, jiangxiang) since 1 June 2025, and GB/T 10781.3-2025 (rice aroma) since 1 May 2026. General terms and the classification of drinks are set by GB/T 17204-2021, and separate parts of the series describe the liquid-state and blended methods. ¹

Traditional jiangxiang, according to a 2023 draft standard, is made from glutinous sorghum and wheat with daqu produced at temperatures above 60 °C, and without edible alcohol. The classic cycle has 9 steamings, 8 fermentations in piles, 8 in pits and 7 distillations. Soy-sauce aroma baijiu is usually aged for three years or longer. In 2021 China produced about 7.1 billion liters of baijiu. ²³

Why this matters to you. If you read “baijiu” on a menu or a shelf, remember it is a family: the aroma type and the GB/T standard number on the label tell you how it was made. The mark 固态法 means the traditional solid-state method, while 液态法 and 固液法 mean liquid-state and blended. Strength varies, so check the % ABV figure. WHO reminds us: there is no safe dose of alcohol. ¹⁶