Guantou Mountain Liquor

Guantou Mountain Liquor

　　Guantou Mountain Liquor is a specialty of Qian'an, Tangshan City, Hebei Province. Qian'an has a long history of liquor production, with legends tracing it back to the time of the Yellow Emperor. The Guantou Mountain Liquor Company still uses an ancient well dating back to the Wei and Jin dynasties. Some Chinese liquor experts believe that the Guantou Mountain Liquor Company boasts rich heritage in liquor culture, with well-preserved sites and relics that reflect distinct local, ethnic, and representative characteristics, thus establishing Qian'an as one of the important birthplaces of Chinese liquor culture.

　　The Guantou Mountain Distillery was first established during the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, originally named "Quansheng Bureau" and later renamed "Desheng Bureau." In 1958, the Qian'an County Government built the Guantou Mountain Distillery on the original site of Desheng Bureau, and its products were once exported to Japan. In the autumn of 1962, a major flood disaster submerged the entire distillery. The following year, the enterprise was shut down during industrial restructuring. In 1972, when Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka visited China, he inquired about the rise and fall of the Guantou Mountain Distillery with Premier Zhou Enlai and tasted Guantou Mountain's Laobaigan. Against this backdrop, in 1973, the Guantou Mountain Distillery was revived and expanded, continuously improving its brewing techniques and enhancing the quality of its liquor.

　　"Guantou Mountain Liquor" adheres to the traditional solid-state mud pit fermentation process, incorporating modern high-tech achievements, inheriting China’s long-standing liquor culture, and maintaining a millennia-old quality. The series of "Guantou Mountain" branded liquors—including Laobaigan, Ertè, Tezao, Jiuwang, New Tangshan Jiuwang, and Qianjiu—are known for their rich cellar aroma, dry and refreshing taste, mellow sweetness, and long-lasting aftertaste. On May 28, 2004, it was awarded the title of one of the "Top Ten Famous Chinese Cultural Liquors" by the Poetry and Liquor Culture Association of the Ministry of Culture. In 2006, the Guantou Mountain Liquor Company was approved as the "Chinese Liquor Culture Academic Activity Base" by the Expert Committee of the China Poetry and Liquor Culture Association and the China Liquor Culture Academic Activity Center under the Ministry of Culture. Over the years, the Guantou Mountain series of liquors have won three international awards, five national-level awards, and thirty-two provincial- and municipal-level awards and certifications. The company’s ancient well and ancient cellar groups have been recognized as among the "Top Ten Ancient Wells of Chinese Liquor Culture" and the "Top Ten Ancient Cellars of Chinese Liquor Culture" during the National Liquor Culture Tour.

　　The current administrative region of Dawuli Township, Qian'an City, Hebei Province

　　"Qian'an Municipal People's Government Request to Define the Geographic Indication Product Protection Scope of 'Guantou Mountain Liquor'," Qian Zheng Cheng [2017] No. 16

　　Hebei Provincial Local Standard: "Geographic Indication Product—Guantou Mountain Liquor"

　　(Draft)