Ganbei!! It's baijiu week here at Different Spirits, because I haven't done any content on the best-selling spirits category in the world in almost two years. The idea for the week is to try out a few distilleries you may not have heard of, by way of tasting them against more prominent producers (here Luzhou Laojiao). Friday is sauce aroma stuff, and today is a couple of little value bottles. But I kick off by repeating my explanation (previously attempted in the Ming River review at • Ming River (Luzhou Lao... ) of what baijiu even is and why it's so radically different from other grain-based spirits. (The short answer is Jiuqu/酒麴 or just "qu," solid-state saccharification, fermentation, and distillation, single batch distillation with steam, and aging in clay.) But skip to 8:50 or so if you already know this stuff.
So what can $25 or less get you in the world of baijiu, at least if you're not settling for Red Star? We've already tried the basic Lao Bai Gan and Xi Feng (here: • Aroma Adventures: Xi F... ), the basic Xinghua Cun Fen Chiew ( • Light Aroma Baijiu: Xi... ), and also the brutal strong aroma aniseed bomb that is Luzhou Laojiao Erqu ( • My Shopping Bag 2: Nov... ). But if you're willing to venture into small format stuff - and baijiu is really good about small format stuff - you get an even wider range of possibilities. An aged strong-aroma option from eastern China? A blended aroma offering in a hip flask? Yet another brutal Luzhou Laojiao, except even cheaper? Yes, yes, yes. And we're throwing in a Xi Feng specifically made for export for fun.*
- Little Lang (小郎酒, mixed sauce and strong aroma baijiu from Gulin Langjiu Distillery, Erlang Town, Gulin, Sichuan; bottled 2019; 45% ABV), 84+/100
- Bai XiFeng (西凤酒 白西凤, phoenix aroma baijiu from Xi Feng Distillery, Fengxiang, Shaanxi; 83% sorghum, 7.6% barley, 6.8% wheat, 2.6% pea, bottled 2020; 52% ABV), 80/100
- Gujing Gong 8 Years (古井贡酒 年份原浆, strong aroma baijiu from Anhui Gujing Distillery, Bozhou City, Anhui; 70% sorghum, 21% rice, 6% wheat, 3% corn, bottled 2023; 50% ABV), 86/100
- Luzhou Laojiao TouQu (泸州老窖 头曲, strong aroma baijiu from Luzhou Laojiao distillery, Luzhou, Sichuan; 80% sorghum, 20% wheat, bottled 2021; 52% ABV), 87-/100
So first off, skip the Bai XiFeng, it's very raw and the regular green bottle XiFengJiu is way better. Second, Little Lang is friggin' delicious, and in 100ml format it's a great way to try some southwestern-style baijiu for under ten bucks. Poured neat, it's very very strong-aroma driven with tons of pineapple and licorice and blue cheese, and it's only with a dash of water that it starts to reveal its lemony, umami, saucey side. (But more on sauce aroma, and this distillery, on Friday).
And that leaves us with the dueling strong aroma options. I honestly believed when I tasted it out that I had paid around $25-ish for the TouQu, when in fact it was more like $14, and for that price - despite still being a little raw and not liking water very much - it's a stunning bargain. It's essentially a more complex, slightly more refined version of the Luzhou Laojiao Erqu. And yes, I do think it's technically a hair better than the more expensive Gujing Gong 8 from 800-odd miles northeast of Luzhou, but I can tell you right now that I'll be reaching for the Gujing more often. This cool little black bottle is refined and hugely umami and downright Burgundian, and a great way to try an older strong aroma baijiu for a reasonable price.
So those are some budget options! But be warned, I have much wallet pain in store for you for next time...
Extra special thanks to my Different Spirits on Patreon ( / differentspirits ) -
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* If all the aroma talk is complete gibberish to you, it's worth taking a look at (say) www.baijiubran...
15 сен 2024
