Baiju

Question 1

Definition

Answer 1

Chinese spirit made from sorghum, may be mixed with rice, glutinous rice, buckwheat, wheat, or corn. Generally 40-60%ABV

Question 2

Name Origins

Answer 2

Sometimes called Shaojiu, literally means “white liquor”

Question 3

Classification by Aromatic Profile

Answer 3

• Rice Aroma: more in common with shochu, floral, mild, smooth
• Light Aroma: popular style, least expensive, sweet, floral
• Strong Aroma: most widely consumed, spicy, fruity, generally pricey
• Sauce Aroma: sharp taste(soy sauce, blue cheese, mushrooms), labor intensive, eight rounds of subterranean fermentation, aged at least 3 years

Question 4

QU

Answer 4

mashed grains, sometimes containing medicinal herbs, mixed with water, formed into bricks or balls and stored for a month then filled with yeast, fungi, and other microorganisms

Question 5

Distillation

Answer 5

same modern stills but also traditional Chinese stille that look like giant dumpling steamers, wooden

Question 6

Aging

Answer 6

As little as 1 year but many more years in clay earthenware urns to preserve flavor and remove unwatend aromas. Clay facilitates oxidation

Question 7

Blending

Answer 7

can be bottled but usually heart mixed with last distillate tails cut

Question 8

Bottling

Answer 8

Purified water is added to reduce alcohol from 36-65%ABV