Baijiu region
Sichuan
四川Sìchuān
Sichuan Province · The home of strong aroma
- Province
- Sichuan Province
- Aroma type
- strong aroma
- Key cities
- Yibin, Luzhou
- Distilleries
- Wuliangye, Luzhou Laojiao
Sichuan is the heartland of baijiu. The province produces about half of all China's baijiu, and it is the home of strong aroma, the most popular style in the country, accounting for 60–70% of the industry's sales. Its two great names, Wuliangye in Yibin and Luzhou Laojiao in Luzhou, are among the most valuable spirits brands in the world, and in Luzhou fermentation pits dug in 1573 are still in use today.
Half of China's baijiu Sichuan is by far China's largest baijiu-producing province: it makes about half of the country's output, and dozens of the leading producers are based here. Its warm, humid climate in the Yangtze basin is ideal for the microbes that drive baijiu fermentation.
The home of strong aroma Sichuan is where strong aroma (浓香) was born. Its secret lies underground, in fermentation pits dug into the earth and lined with mud, which over decades and centuries become home to the microbes that give the spirit its rich, fruity aroma. Strong aroma accounts for 60–70% of the baijiu industry's sales.
Luzhou In Luzhou, on the Yangtze, Luzhou Laojiao ferments its grain in pits that have been in continuous use since 1573, during the Ming dynasty. In 1996 China's State Council declared them a national cultural relic, and they give their name to the distillery's flagship, Guojiao 1573.
Yibin Upstream, in Yibin, where the Min River joins the Yangtze, Wuliangye makes its famous 'five-grain liquid' from sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, wheat and corn. According to Brand Finance, Wuliangye and Luzhou Laojiao are respectively the second and third most valuable spirits brands in the world, after Moutai.
At the table The fruity richness of Sichuan baijiu is the natural partner for the province's spicy cooking, from mapo tofu to hot pot.
Spirits 烈酒
At the foot of Mount Emei, Pernod Ricard's The Chuan (叠川) opened in 2021 as the first fully operational malt whisky distillery in China by an international spirits group, using the pristine water of Emei.
History
1573
The fermentation pits later known as the National Cellar begin working in Luzhou, during the Ming dynasty.
1952
Luzhou baijiu is named one of China's 'Four Famous Spirits' at the first national appraisal.
1996
China's State Council declares Luzhou Laojiao's 1573 pits a national cultural relic.
Sub-regions
Luzhou泸州
On the Yangtze; home of Luzhou Laojiao and the 1573 National Cellar.
Yibin宜宾
Where the Min River joins the Yangtze; home of Wuliangye.
Producers
Bottles
Sources
- Baijiu 101: industry leaders, market share, export stats and more — World Baijiu Day, 2021
- Unraveling variation on the profile aroma compounds of strong aroma type of Baijiu in different regions — RSC Advances, 2021
- History – Core resources: Cellar — Luzhou Laojiao
- Luzhou Laojiao — The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails
- Chinese brands raise the bar as global leaders in alcoholic drinks 2025 rankings — Brand Finance, 2025
- The world of baijiu: aroma classification, its historical origins and contemporary relevance — Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles