I don't just drink tea it turns out.
I got two kinds of hard liquor this weekend. This is the first that arrived.
This is the 浓香 (nóng xiāng or "strong aroma") style and stems from 江苏宿迁 (Suqian, Jiangsu).
Strong aroma styles of 白酒 (báijiǔ, the local hard liquor) are very strong and complex in flavour profiles and have a pronounced, almost unctuous sweet flavour despite there being no sugar in the final product. Other flavours that tease the tongue through the 52% (104 proof) alcohol burn include pineapple, banana, and other tropical fruits (with a bit of an overripe sensation), and even hints of anise or the like.
Of course the flavour profile is very alien to western palates and tends to result in recoiling on first contact. But not for me. I've loved the insanely complicated world of Chinese liquor since I first tasted it.
This particular one is a sorghum base (like most hard liquor in China) and its "qu" (the mechanism by which fermentation is started) is made of wheat, barley, and peas. (This is typical for "strong aroma" liquors.)
As usual alt text has more information and Mastodon users will have to click through to get all the pictures.
#白酒 #浓香型 #江苏宿迁 #liquor #baijiu #StrongAroma #SuqianJiangsu
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