Picking up baijiu in the UK or USA can be a hit-and-miss experience. It may be hugely popular in China, but it doesn’t enjoy such a reputation in the west just yet!
If you head to the alcohol aisle of a major supermarket alcohol stockists such as Tesco or Asda, you won’t find baijiu. It’s a simple matter of economics. This beverage is costly to import in bulk, and it isn’t well known enough to justify such an outlay. The same applies to major US supermarkets, such as Walmart. Supply and demand dictates that baijiu will not leave the shelves at the same rate as rum, gin or vodka.
This does not mean that baijiu is unavailable, however. All you’ll need to do is locate your closest Asian supermarket – ideally one that specialises in Chinese produce. As the national drink of China, baijiu is sure to be stocked in such locations. After all, Chinese nationals relocate all over the globe.
Buy Baijiu Online
If you prefer to shop online, a handful of independent stockists can be found on Google. The range is a little limited, though. As with most matters of e-commerce, Amazon has the widest range of available brands.
Amazon’s selection tends to fluctuate erratically though, so it’s worth taking your time. Don’t pull the trigger on the first bottle you see. If you hold fire for a week, you may find something more appealing to your palate and price point appearing for sale.
Here, we include a small list of popular baijiu brands to familiarize yourself with and the aromas they are associated with: (See All Baijiu Brands)
Buy Baijiu Imperial Aroma Brand:
Tasting Notes: My initial reaction to the aroma was that it was surprisingly fresh – quite minty with a spicy, almost ‘green’ quality. The flavours are complex. Lots of spice and a nice, warming vein. The alcohol is clean though, unlike the other baijui brands I have tried.
Description: The V.I.P Jiu 8 recipe was first conceived 300 years ago by the Kangxi emperor, one of China’s greatest ever emperors. V.I.P Jiu 8 consists of nine natural ingredients and nothing more. During all phases of the recipes, resurrection V.I.P Jiu 8 remained true to the Emporer Kangxi’s original recipe, and forever mindful and respectful of its imperial pedigree.
Price – Approx $100 per 500ml: Depending on where this baijiu is offered for sale.
It is slightly more available than Flying Fairy and Kweichou Moutai and is part of the Moutai brand, the biggest drinks company in the world. Worth a whopping 21.2bn at present (Wuliangye is 14.6, Yanghe at 7.8 then Johnny Walker at 4.3bn), it isn’t so much a problem of sales as making enough of the product to satisfy their market. Baijiu For Sale Online
Moutai Flying Fairy 53%
Price – Approx $170 per 200ml / $620 per 1l bottle: Depending where this baijiu is offered for sale.
Moutai Flying Fairy has a slight problem at present. It expected sales of over 66 billion Yuan and yet despite this coming from 60,000 metric tons of Baijiu, the company will have to limit growth to 4 per cent annually for the next 3 years at least to be able to sell sustainably. Despite the huge numbers, the amount of ordinary Chinese buying Moutai has meant that the company will look to increase sales of customised lines through limited edition bottles and older vintages. Baijiu For Sale Online
Price – Approx $68 / £50 per 375ml: Depending where this baijiu is offered for sale.
Founded in 1408, Shui Jing Fang is almost 40% owned by Diageo. In summer 2018, they had approached the directors to increase their stake to 60%. Diageo has a controlling stake in the parent company, SJF Holdco and they have taken the long view of investing to ensure their Baijiu foothold is as strong as it can be. Baijiu For Sale Online
HKB Baijiu 43%
Price – Approx £49.95 per 700ml: Depending where this baijiu is offered for sale.
Hong Kong Baijiu is a little more, shall we say, Westernised. Although this form of Baijiu starts in Sichuan province, much of the stock is then shipped to Italy. Here it goes through a second distillation at a grappa producer. Now that it is in Europe, you can find this Baijiu on various mainstream websites but there is still no direct stockist with a dedicated supplier in the UK for example. Baijiu For Sale Online
Wuliangye 52%
Price – Approx $104 375ml / $235 500ml: Depending on where this baijiu is offered for sale.
Wuliangye is the second biggest spirit brand in the world, behind Moutai. At 14.6bn sales, they are well-positioned as a strong aroma brand to see more growth in the years ahead. The group has 3 distinctions; the 45% bottle, the 52% and 68%. Baijiu For Sale Online
Luzhou Laojiao 1573 52%
Price – Approx $150.00 750ml / £120.00 500ml: Depending on where this baijiu is offered for sale.
The fermentation pits go back over 100 years and the distillery has produced since 1573. One of the best-selling spirit brands in China, there is a sister brand with slightly smaller sales, called Guojiao 1573. Luzhou Laojiao achieved sales of 3.8bn although some reports put it as 15.7bn. What is not in doubt is that it is the 5th most valuable spirit brand in the world, one of 4 Baijiu companies in the top 5, separated only by Johnnie Walker. Baijiu For Sale Online
Price – Approx from $3 – $20+ sizes vary from 100ml up to 750ml: Depending on where this baijiu is offered for sale.
Red Star was created in 1949 by the Chinese Central Tax Office. It is closely associated with the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. At this lower end pricing, it isn’t competing directly with Moutai for instance but it is still immensely popular and at prices like this, very accessible. But light aroma brands are strong; in some cases over 60% alcohol so tread ‘lightly’! Baijiu For Sale Online
Kinmen Kaoliang – 58%
Price – Approx $24 / £27 – 500ml: Depending on where this baijiu is offered for sale.
The Kinmen Kaoliang 58 is the most popular but you can buy a more aged variety such as the 12-year-old and would expect to pay another 100 on top of the 58. This particular Baijiu actually originates from Taiwan but is consistently up there with the popular ones. As with light aroma Baijius which are sorghum-based, the drink is very light without the soy elements of sauce and even strong. Still a very accessible drink and one that you will see quite widely distributed, again with an initial price that is more affordable. Baijiu For Sale Online
Price – Approx $44 – 750ml: Depending on where this baijiu is offered for sale.
This is actually made in Oregon! It is accessible in alcohol volume when you compare it to the Chinese baijiu’s in sauce, strong and light aroma categories and being US-based it is easily re-searchable online to find out more about, as Vinn distillery actually produce Baijiu along with whisky, vodka and liqueur. Baijiu For Sale Online
Guilin Sanhua Jui – around 55%
Price – Approx $25 – 500ml: Depending on where this baijiu is offered for sale.
This is reasonably accessible in China, popular and affordable rice aroma baijiu. You can buy it in bars as easily as you can from a merchant in-store or online. There are other rice aroma baijiu’s but they are really hard to track down so if this is your tipple, it’s not a difficult one to start with for price alone. And rice aroma is of course typically sweeter and easier to drink, being made predominantly with rice. Baijiu For Sale Online
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
