![]() A glass and bottle of “Jiugui” (酒鬼) brand baijiu | |
Type | Distilled beverage |
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Country of origin | China |
Region of origin | East Asia |
Alcohol by volume | 35–65% |
Proof (US) | 56–130 |
Color | Clear |
Variants | light aroma, strong aroma, sauce aroma, rice aroma, phoenix aroma, mixed aroma, chi aroma, sesame aroma, medicine aroma, extra-strong aroma, special aroma, laobaigan, small qu baijiu |
Related products | shōchū, soju, huangjiu, mijiu, sake |
Baijiu | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Chinese | 白酒 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Literal meaning | "white (clear) liquor" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 烧酒 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 燒酒 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Literal meaning | to heat (distilled) liquor | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Baijiu (Chinese: 白酒; pinyin: báijiǔ; lit. 'white (clear) liquor'), or shaojiu (simplified Chinese: 烧酒; traditional Chinese: 燒酒; pinyin: shāojiǔ; lit. 'burning liquor'), is a colorless Chinese liquor typically coming in between 35% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV).[1][2] Each type of baijiu uses its own type of qū for fermentation to create a distinct and characteristic flavor profile.
Baijiu is a clear liquid usually distilled from fermented sorghum, although other grains may be used; some southeastern Chinese styles may employ rice and glutinous rice while other Chinese varieties may use wheat, barley, millet, or Job's tears (Chinese: 薏苡; pinyin: yìyǐ) in their mash bills. The qū starter culture used in the production of baijiu is usually made from pulverized wheat grain or steamed rice.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Because of its clarity, baijiu can appear similar to several other East Asian liquors, e.g. Japanese shōchū (25%) or Korean soju (20–45%), but it often has a significantly higher alcohol content (35–60%).