Step 3 · How they are made
Brewed or distilled?
All five drinks begin with fermentation. The difference is what happens next.
Brewed (fermented only). Wine, rice wine and beer stop after fermentation. That is why they are lower in alcohol: wine and beer are usually well below 15%, and rice wine is somewhat stronger than wine.
Distilled. Baijiu, brandy, whisky and gin are distilled: the fermented liquid, or in the case of baijiu the fermented grain itself, is heated so the alcohol evaporates and is collected again, much stronger.
What makes baijiu unique. Most of the world's spirits are distilled from a liquid. Traditional baijiu is fermented and distilled in solid form: the fermented grain is loaded into a still and steamed, and the steam carries the alcohol and aromas out of the grain. This solid-state method is a big part of why baijiu tastes like nothing else.