🥃 Jianxiang
Jianxiang (jianxiangxing) is mixed-aroma baijiu that combines the sauce style jiangxiang with the strong style nongxiang; standard GB/T 10781.8-2021, Baiyunbian is the classic example.
If you meet "jianxiangxing" on a bottle of baijiu, it means two styles in one drink. Jianxiang (mixed-aroma type) combines the sauce style jiangxiang with the strong style nongxiang. The character in the name means "at the same time". The classic example is Baiyunbian from Hubei province. According to researchers, jianxiang was recognised as a separate type in 1983. Do not confuse it with the sauce-aroma jiangxiang, as in Kweichow Moutai.
How it is made. According to a 2024 study in Foods, at the start of production the technology resembles the sauce type and at the end the strong type. Sorghum is used, with a mix of high- and medium-temperature daqu, that is, two different starters. In one production method described in 2025, the starters are mixed in a ratio of 1.8 : 1, the mass ferments in a heap for two days and then for 60 days in a pit.
Aroma. According to a review in Food Chemistry: X (2023), the key compounds are ethyl hexanoate, characteristic of nongxiang, gamma-nonalactone and dimethyl trisulphide. Depending on the proportion of the two styles, producers make baijiu closer either to the sauce or to the strong aroma.
Standard. The full Chinese name of the type is 浓酱兼香型 (nong-jiang jianxiangxing), "strong and sauce at the same time". The requirements for the type are set by the standard GB/T 10781.8-2021, in force since 1 June 2022. Some producers, such as Langjiu from Sichuan, make sauce, strong and mixed baijiu all at once.
Why this matters to you. The mark jianxiangxing on the label says that two styles are combined in the drink: it is fuller than pure nongxiang, but softer than sauce-aroma jiangxiang. Strength varies, so check the % vol. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Legal basis | GB/T 10781.8-2021 — mixed strong and sauce aroma baijiu (in force from 01.06.2022) |
|---|---|
| Raw material | sorghum; mix of high- and medium-temperature daqu |
| Distillation method | solid-state distillation after fermentation in heaps and pits |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Jianxiang → then → 🍷 Alcoholic fermentation ← goes through ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Alcoholic fermentation, 🥃 Distillation
- Made from
- 🍷 Yeast
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Baijiu
- Related to
- 🌍 East Asia
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Kweichow Moutai, 🥃 Luzhou Laojiao, 🥃 Nongxiang, 🥃 Nongxiang, 🥃 Qingxiang, 🥃 Qingxiang, 🥃 Mixiang, 🥃 Mixiang, 🥃 Fengxiang, 🥃 Fengxiang
Frequently asked questions
Are jianxiang and jiangxiang the same thing?
No. Jiangxiang is the sauce aroma, as in Kweichow Moutai, while jianxiang is the mixed type that combines sauce and strong aroma.
How is jianxiang baijiu made?
From sorghum on a mix of high- and medium-temperature daqu: first fermentation in heaps, as in the sauce type, then in pits, as in the strong type.
Which brand is the classic mixed-aroma baijiu?
Baiyunbian from Hubei province.
When was jianxiang recognised as a separate type?
According to researchers, in 1983.
Which standard covers jianxiang baijiu?
GB/T 10781.8-2021, Requirements for the quality of baijiu, Part 8: mixed strong and sauce aroma baijiu, in force since 1 June 2022.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Alcoholic fermentation — Yeast eats the sugar in the must and releases alcohol and carbon dioxide.
- 🍷 Yeast — Microscopic fungi that turn sugar into alcohol and gas.
- 🌍 East Asia — A region in the east of Asia — China, Japan and Korea: milk became an everyday food only in the 20th century, but there are old traditions such as rushan and so; China ranks third in the world for vineyard area.
- 🥃 Mixiang — Mixiang (mixiangxing) is rice-aroma baijiu made from rice with xiaoqu starter: the mash ferments about 13 days in semi-solid form; key compounds are ethyl lactate, ethyl acetate and beta-phenylethanol.
Similar
🥃 Zhimaxiang · 🥃 Fengxiang · 🥃 Texiang · 🥃 Nongxiang · 🥃 Dongxiang baijiu · 🥃 Fuyuxiang baijiu
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- SAMR/SAC national standards register, series GB/T 10781 白酒质量要求 (Baijiu quality requirements): part 8, GB/T 10781.8-2021 浓酱兼香型白酒 (strong-and-sauce combined aroma baijiu), issued 26.11.2021, in force 01.06.2022, current
- Qiao L., Wang J., Wang R., Zhang N., Zheng F. A review on flavor of Baijiu and other world-renowned distilled liquors. Food Chemistry: X 20 (2023) 100870 — jian aroma combines strong and sauce flavours; key aroma substances ethyl hexanoate, γ-nonalactone, dimethyl trisulfide
- Huang H. et al. Molecular sensomics combined with random forest model can reveal the evolution of flavor type of Baijiu based on differential markers. Foods 13(19):3034 (2024) — mixed (jian) aroma identified as a flavour type in 1983; technique inspired by sauce aroma in the early stage and strong aroma in the late stage
- Tu W. et al. Chinese Baijiu: the perfect works of microorganisms. Frontiers in Microbiology 13:919044 (2022), table of flavor types — compound flavour: Baiyunbian; high- or medium-temperature daqu; starter, stacking and cellar fermentation
- Cao L. et al. Comparative analysis of metagenomics between high- and medium-temperature daqu, and microbial succession in Jiang-Nong Jianxiang Baijiu fermentation. BMC Genomics 26:852 (2025) — high- and medium-temperature daqu 1.8:1 with sorghum, stacking two days, 60 days in fermentation pits
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)