Strong Aroma

The mud pits

The heart of strong aroma baijiu is the fermentation pit (窖池), a rectangular pit dug into the ground and lined with clay. Over years of use, the mud fills with bacteria that produce ethyl hexanoate, the compound behind the style's fruity, pineapple-like aroma. The older the pit, the better the spirit is believed to be: some pits used by Luzhou Laojiao date back to 1573 and are still in use today.

Continuous fermentation

Strong aroma producers do not start from scratch with each batch. A portion of the fermented grain is always kept and mixed with fresh grain for the next fermentation, so that each batch carries something of all those before it.

Single grain or many

Some producers use only sorghum, like Luzhou Laojiao; others use a mix of grains. Wuliangye's name means 'five-grain liquid': it is made from sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, wheat and corn.

How to recognise it

The label says 浓香型 (nóngxiāng xíng). The spirit is perfectly clear, and the nose is immediately fruity: pineapple, ripe pear, banana, sometimes anise. On the palate it feels sweet and round, even at high strength.

Sichuan and beyond

The two capitals of strong aroma are Luzhou and Yibin, on the Yangtze in Sichuan. But the style is made across China, and a second family, sometimes called the Jianghuai style, comes from Jiangsu and Anhui, with names such as Yanghe and Gujinggong. Sichuan strong aroma tends to be richer and more intense; the eastern style is softer and gentler.

Old pits, better spirit

In strong aroma, producers boast about the age of their pits rather than the age of the spirit. The oldest pits of Luzhou Laojiao have been working since 1573, and their mud is so valuable that it is used to 'seed' new pits.

Why start here

Because it is fruity, round and familiar to most Chinese drinkers, strong aroma is an excellent second step after light aroma. It is also the style most often used by bartenders for fruity baijiu cocktails.