The 12 Aroma Types of Baijiu: A Map of Flavour

In wine we talk about grapes. In whisky, about regions and casks. In baijiu, the first question is always: which aroma? China classifies its national spirit into 12 aroma types, 香型 (xiāngxíng), each defined by its method, its region and a signature brand.

The four great aroma types

Four styles dominate by volume and reputation.

酱香 Sauce aroma **Guizhou · Moutai**

Savoury, deep and endlessly long, with notes of soy, roasted grain, dried fruit and earth. It is made with high-temperature qu and a year-long cycle of repeated fermentations and distillations, then aged for years. The flavour lingers in the empty glass long after you finish. The reference is Moutai, from the Chishui River valley in Guizhou.

浓香 Strong aroma **Sichuan · Luzhou Laojiao, Wuliangye**

Fruity and rich, often with notes of pineapple, ripe pear and anise. It ferments in old mud pits, which give it its intensity. It is the most produced style in China, and the one most Chinese drinkers grew up with. Its capitals are Luzhou and Yibin, on the Yangtze in Sichuan.

清香 Light aroma **Shanxi · Fenjiu**

Clean and floral, with notes of pear, green apple and fresh grain. It ferments in clay jars buried in the ground, which keeps it pure. It is the easiest style for European palates. The reference is Fenjiu, from Xinghua village in Shanxi.

米香 Rice aroma **Guangxi · Guilin Sanhua**

Soft, sweet and honeyed, with floral notes. It is made from rice with small qu, in the warm south, and is the gentlest of the four. Guilin Sanhua is its reference.

The other eight

Around the four great styles, eight more have been recognised:

• **Feng aroma** (凤香): Xifeng, Shaanxi. Fruity and layered, traditionally aged in "wine seas" (酒海), huge baskets lined with paper.
• **Mixed aroma** (兼香): strong and sauce aroma in one glass.
• **Sesame aroma** (芝麻香): roasted sesame notes, mainly from Shandong.
• **Herbal aroma** (药香): Dongjiu, Guizhou, made with qu containing herbs.
• **Te aroma** (特香): Jiangxi, made with whole rice.
• **Chi aroma** (豉香): Guangdong, a rice spirit aged with pork fat.
• **Laobaigan aroma** (老白干香): Hebei, clean and powerful.
• **Fuyu aroma** (馥郁香): Jiugui, Hunan, said to show strong, light and sauce aroma in a single sip.

A living classification

The system keeps evolving. Some styles, like sesame and fuyu, are modern creations, and producers constantly experiment with new blends and methods. Think of the aroma types as a map, not a rulebook.

How to taste your way through

Light, then strong, then sauce: from the cleanest to the most complex. Pour three small glasses, taste them side by side, and smell each empty glass at the end. Then explore the others one by one, as you would explore the regions of a wine country.

In one sentence

Baijiu is classified by aroma: twelve styles, four of them great, each tied to a place, a method and a signature brand.