Guilin Sanhua is the reference for rice aroma baijiu, the softest and most approachable of the great baijiu styles. It is made in Guilin, in the north of Guangxi, a city famous across the world for its karst landscape of limestone peaks along the Li River.
The tradition of rice spirits in Guilin is centuries old: sources trace it back to the Tang or Song dynasty. The modern company was founded by the government in 1952 from several smaller distilleries, and in 1957 its baijiu was ranked first among China's small-qu spirits. It is a recognised China Time-honoured Brand and its craft is listed as intangible cultural heritage in Guangxi.
The name
Sanhua (三花) literally means 'three flowers'. It is also read as a reference to the production method, in which the grain is steamed three times.
A different way of making baijiu
Unlike most baijiu distilleries, Guilin Sanhua uses rice, with a small qu made from rice and medicinal herbs, the traditional starter of southeast China. It steams the grain three times, ferments it in a semi-solid state and distils it continuously. The water comes from the Li River area.
A cellar inside a mountain
The premium spirit is aged inside Elephant Trunk Hill, the limestone hill shaped like an elephant drinking from the Li River that has become the symbol of Guilin. The cave keeps a constant temperature all year round. Every year, just before Chinese New Year, the Xiangshan cellar opens to the public for one week, a local tradition since the 1980s, and residents queue with their own containers to buy the year's spirit.