China

Question 1

What are the most popular spirits in China?

Answer 1

-Baijiu
-Moutai
-very small volumes on imported spirits

Question 2

How many whisky distilleries are there in China (as of release of Broom’s book)?

Answer 2

-27 operational distilleries in China

Question 3

Who regulates whisky in China?

Answer 3

-The whisky arm of the CADA
-China Alcoholic Drinks Association
-Four levels of regulatory bodies
1) national
2) industry
3) group
4) company

Question 4

What questions does Chinese involvement in whisky raise?

Answer 4

-China’s scale creates problems
-If there’s already a shortage of American barrels
-are there sufficient Chinese cooperages?
-Chinese maltings?

Question 5

What could Chinese whiskey be like (Broom)?

Answer 5

-Which barley varieties and other grains could be used?
-what about yeast strains?
-Chinese Oak? (Quercus Mongolica and others)
-Other woods?
-smoke from wood or from tea?
-Then there are questions about how to engage the new Chinese consumer and where Chinese whisky would be consumed?

Question 6

Goalong

Answer 6

-Hunan Province
-First Chinese Single Malt to appear on the international market
-at the time of writing (Broom) - China’s largest single malt distillery
-Australian barley, malted in China

Question 7

Laizhou

Answer 7

-Sichuan Province
-Built by China’s largest RTD player (Shanghai Bacchus)
-Distillery split into two sides:
1) Grain/nuetral side - 7 Columns capable of producing 20 million litres per year
2) Malt side - 5 million litre capacity
-later takes Japanese approach of making many styles of new make
-Eight pot stills (four are smaller with stainless steel as well as copper shell & tube condensors
-others with upward facing lyne arms
-all stills are externally heated
-built own cooperage with STR area for nearby wineries
-some exB, exS and some Quercus Mongolica

Question 8

What is Pernod Ricard’s distillery investment in China?

Answer 8

-The Chaun distillery broke ground in Emeishan in 2019
-$1.5 billion Yen investment
-distillery appearing in 2023

Question 9

What is Diageo’s whisky distillery investment (through Distell)?

Answer 9

-Yun Tuo Single Malt Distillery
-in Eryuan County, Yunnan Province
-$120 million investment
-Diageo’s first production site in China
-Yua = Clouds
-Tuo = exploration
-2100 meters above sea level
-100% Carbon Neutral
-local community fund
-6.6 ton full lauter tun
-8 washbacks and fermentations are between 80-120 hours
-two pairs of stills (2.5 million litre capacity)

Question 10

Tsingtao

Answer 10

-Globally known beer producer also makes whisky
-first to make whisky in China in 1912
-distillery closed in 1980 and reopened in 2022

Question 11

Daiking

Answer 11

-Fuijan Province
-idea of Taiwanese businessman Wu Songbai
-1544 meters on Daiking Mountain
-5 mashtuns, 48 washbacks, 10 wash and 8 spirits stills