Maotai

Maotai ( Moutai )

Chinese exhibition stand at Anuga 1979 with Moutai

Maotai (also Moutai , Chinese  茅台酒 , Pinyin Máotái jiǔ ) is a Chinese schnapps made from red millet ( sorghum ) and wheat . It is named after the large Maotai community in the city of Renhuai in the mountainous southwest Chinese province of Guizhou, with a population of around 10,000 . Through multiple distillation, the Maotai reaches a peak value of 70 % alcohol by volume . The only legal producer of Maotai in the People's Republic of China is K Weichow Moutai .

history

As early as the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), Maotai became the first Chinese brandy to be produced on a large scale. The annual production volume was 170 tons. In 2007 the sales volume reached 6,800 tons.

Maotai schnapps first gained international renown with the gold medal of the Panama-Pacific Exhibition in San Francisco in 1915 . Gold medals were also awarded to the high-proof at the Paris World Exhibitions in 1985 and 1986. In total, Maotai has received 14 international and 20 Chinese awards since 1949.

Maotai is the only alcoholic drink in China that is an official gift from Chinese embassies in other countries. It was also used at Chinese state banquets . In addition to whiskey and cognac , Maotai is considered a luxury branded drink. In the French press the Maotai was referred to as the "Chinese national drink".

Its importance as an international commodity increased (Maotai sold more than 200 tons in 100 countries worldwide in 2011. In 2006, the value of Maotai exports was 5.3 billion yuan , compared with 4.2 billion yuan in the previous year) At the beginning of 2018, 95 percent of the company's sales came from China. There are also limits to growth because the product can only be called that when the red millet and water come from the town.

This liquor plays a certain role in the crime novels by the Chinese writer Qiu Xiaolong .

Web links

Commons : Maotai  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Guizhou Maotai Liquor ( Memento of the original from July 22, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed November 22, 2011. 
2. ↑ Maotai remains short in supply in 2008 , accessed November 22, 2011.
3. ↑ ^{a b} China Guide with information on the country and people, culture, history and economy of China. ( Memento of the original from July 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. April 18, 2010, accessed November 22, 2011. 
4. ↑ Information from the manufacturer China K Weichow Moutai Distillery Co., Ltd. ( Memento of the original of July 24, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
5. ↑ Le maotai, boisson nationale en Chine . In: Charente Libre newspaper , January 6, 2011; Retrieved November 22, 2011.
6. ↑ China sells 12.6 billion USD worth of spirits last yearfv ( Memento from March 31, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
7. ^ "White alcohol" obscures the Chinese senses , NZZ, February 6, 2018
8. ↑ see: Qiu Xiaolong: Death of a Red Heroine p. 269, p. 273, p. 431.