Luzhou Laojiao


Luzhou Laojiao is a Chinese liquor distilled from fermented sorghum. It is a baijiu of the "strong aroma" class. It is produced by Luzhou Laojiao Company Limited, which is headquartered in Luzhou, in southern Sichuan, China.

History

The distillery dates back to 1573, in the Ming dynasty, and it is the oldest continuously producing baijiu distillery in the world. It was included in the first "List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage" in 2006. The company produces a baijiu brand named Guojiao 1573, in commemoration of its founding year.
Luzhou Laojiao was reportedly the favourite tipple of China's paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping.
The company commenced international operations in 2012, concentrating initially on the Asia-Pacific market but expanding into Africa during 2016–17. In 2018 it was estimated to be worth nearly .
In 2019, Luzhou Laojiao became an associate sponsor of the Australian Open tennis tournament for five years, making it the largest Chinese sponsor in Australian Open history. Court 2 at the tournament's Melbourne Park venue was named the "1573 Arena", after the company's Guojiao 1573 brand, starting from the 2019 Australian Open.

Product characteristics

Luzhou Laojiao is a complex, premium baijiu of the "strong aroma" class. It is a strongly alcoholic, clear liquid with a sharp aroma of fermented peaches. It is fermented in old cellars, whose walls are coated with a unique clay composition that gives the spirit its aroma and palate.
Luzhou has a mild climate with extreme temperatures of -1 to +40 °C, and annual precipitation of 750 to 1615mm. This climate is ideal for local soft wheat quality and microbial groups. The Yangtze River water, after treatment by the water plant, is rich in calcium, magnesium and other trace elements. Water quality is weakly acidic, with a suitable hardness.