Tan Liquor

Tan Liquor

　　Located on the banks of the Chishui River at the Sichuan-Guizhou border, Taiping Town in Gulin County neighbors Maotai Town in Guizhou and Erlang Town in Gulin, nestled deep within the canyon at the heart of China’s Golden Triangle of Baijiu. Here stands the XianTan Distillery, established in 1978, covering an area of over 1,000 acres with an annual production of nearly 20,000 tons of sauce-flavor liquor and a constant inventory of more than 30,000 tons of base sauce-flavor liquor aged three years or more. In 2010, the XianTan Distillery was recognized by the Baijiu Professional Committee of the China National Food Industry Association as one of the “Top Three Sauce-Flavor Baijiu Producers Nationwide.” Its “XianTan” and “Tan” trademarks were honored as “China Well-Known Trademarks”; in 2011, “Sauce-Flavor Tan Liquor” was selected as the official celebratory liquor for Tsinghua University’s centennial anniversary.

　　　　The One-of-a-Kind Taiping Town

　　　　Taiping Town is situated along the upper reaches of the Chishui River, the core production area of China’s sauce-flavor Baijiu. Surrounded by mountains, it enjoys warm winters and hot summers, with an average annual temperature of 18°C, an average frost-free period of 359 days, annual rainfall of only 800–900 mm, and up to 1,400 hours of sunlight. This unique geographical and climatic environment nurtures the vast microbial ecosystem essential for brewing premium sauce-flavor Baijiu. Grain is the backbone of liquor, and the glutinous red sorghum from the Chishui Riverbanks is revered as top-quality by all leading Baijiu producers. Water is the lifeblood of liquor, and Sauce-Flavor Tan Liquor draws its water from the natural mineral spring of Fairy Maiden Pool—moderate in pH, low in hardness, and rich in multiple minerals—making it the ideal ecological water source for brewing sauce-flavor Baijiu.

　　　　Adherence to Traditional Brewing Techniques

　　　　No matter how the world changes, Tan Liquor has remained committed to traditional brewing methods: high-temperature koji-making, a one-year production cycle, two rounds of grain input, nine rounds of steaming, eight rounds of fermentation, seven rounds of distillation, blending through blending tanks, with the entire brewing process completed manually by master brewers.

　　　　The vessel shapes the character of the liquor. Sauce-Flavor Tan Liquor is stored in ancient clay jars produced within Gulin County. As the liquor ages inside these jars, minute amounts of air seep in, allowing oxygen to slowly react with various chemical compounds in the liquor, promoting gradual maturation and aging. The longer it ages, the more fragrant it becomes.

　　　　■ Tasting Notes from Experts

　　　　The 2013 Mass-Market Development Forum for Sauce-Flavor Baijiu was held in Luzhou on April 26. Industry experts including Liang Bangchang, Zeng Zuxun, Shen Caihong, Zhuang Mingyang, and Hu Yongsong sampled Tan Liquor and provided the following summary feedback: Red Tan — slightly yellow and transparent, with prominent sauce aroma, good aged fragrance, mellow and delicate taste, well-balanced body, long aftertaste, lingering fragrance in the empty cup, typical of sauce-flavor style. Aged Tan Liquor — slightly yellow and transparent, with intense sauce aroma, comfortable aged fragrance, full-bodied and soft texture, elegant and delicate flavor, long-lasting aftertaste, enduring fragrance in the empty cup, typical of sauce-flavor style.

　　　　Liang Bangchang, Senior National Engineer and Former Head of the Baijiu Expert Group of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association:

　　　　The most valuable aspect of XianTan sauce-flavor Baijiu is that while maintaining a rich, delicate, and elegant sauce aroma, it also carries a distinct pit-bottom fragrance, staying true to the traditional style of sauce-flavor Baijiu. Its recognition is truly well-deserved.

　　　　Zhuang Mingyang, Renowned Expert in China’s Brewing Industry, Academic Committee Member of Key Laboratories for Brewing, Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences:

　　　　Tan Liquor has a very pleasant taste—soft, delicate, with a prominent and distinctive sauce aroma. I truly admire it.

　　　　Li Dahe, Former Director of the Brewing Institute at the Sichuan Food Fermentation Industry Research & Design Institute, National Invited Judge for Chinese Baijiu:

　　　　Tan Liquor is a traditional-style sauce-flavor Baijiu, but while adhering to tradition, it has also brought innovation. Pure grain solid-state fermentation is the essence of Chinese Baijiu, and XianTan has bravely innovated in preserving and developing this cultural heritage. (Zhang Jing)