What Exactly Is the "Jiangxiang" Flavor of Moutai Liquor?

The Hongyingzi sorghum planting base is hailed as the "first workshop" of Moutai Distillery.

Everyone knows Moutai is the origin and pinnacle of sauce-aroma baijiu, but how many can clearly describe what "sauce aroma" actually tastes like?

A thousand people might give a thousand descriptions: somewhat like soy sauce, with a hint of fermented bean aroma? There’s also a touch of sweet fruitiness and creaminess, followed by a roasted grain bitterness in the aftertaste...

So, what does Moutai really taste like?

Don’t overthink it. Just last year, Moutai Group unveiled its flavor substance analysis results, definitively identifying 965 flavor compounds in Moutai, with 361 contributing critically to its taste.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. The complex flavors stem from even more intricate brewing microorganisms. According to Moutai’s latest research, scientists have decoded 1,946 microorganisms involved in fermentation—tiny life forms that grow, reproduce, and interact in a microscopic world beyond human reach, creating a one-of-a-kind flavor profile.

Qu (starter) blocks and fermented grains are both flavor sources nurtured by the local environment.

Indeed, the lifeblood of brewing lies in microorganisms. Over centuries, human artisans still haven’t fully deciphered how these tiny beings work, yet through long practice, they’ve mastered the best "collaboration" methods and built the ideal environment for their growth.

Beyond human effort, mountains, rivers, air... natural forces exert a far more powerful and profound influence on microorganisms. In this sense, every drop of Moutai embodies the unique brewing ecosystem of its homeland.

Mountains and Forests: Natural Cellars and "Air Conditioning"

Stepping into Moutai’s brewing workshop, the most striking sight is the piles of fermenting grains spread across the drying floor—a scene rarely seen in other baijiu production processes.

Due to high fermentation temperatures and relatively low yeast content in the Qu, making sauce-aroma baijiu requires exposing the grains to the air to fully capture environmental microbes. Thus, the entire brewing process is deeply intertwined with the surrounding ecology.

The brewing workshop, nestled between mountains and rivers.

Of course, air is just one microbial source. The sorghum, wheat for Qu, water for grain soaking, and mud for pit sealing all carry abundant environmental microbes. Brewing is essentially a process of selecting, cultivating, and preserving desired microorganisms, accumulating over years to sustain the refined microbial community.

Water and soil are vital components of the microbial environment.

What do microorganisms need to survive?

First, suitable temperature and humidity.

Brewing workshops lack air conditioning; regulating these conditions largely falls to nature. For Moutai Town, the most important "climate regulators" are the surrounding mountains and forests.

Yanzi Cave and sorghum fields in Maoba Town, Renhuai City.

From a macro perspective, Moutai Town lies at the convergence of the Wumeng and Dalou mountain ranges. The Wumeng Mountains form the backbone of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, while the Dalou Mountains serve as a natural boundary between Sichuan and Guizhou. These massive ranges create an impenetrable climatic barrier, trapping warm, moist air from the southeast and cold air from the north, forming the famous "Yunnan-Guizhou Quasi-Stationary Front" and a prolonged rainfall belt that envelops Moutai Town.

From a microscopic perspective, the Chishui River, originating from the northern foothills of the Wumeng Mountains, makes a sharp turn at Maotai Town, shifting from an eastward flow to a northward descent into the Yangtze River. Here, the steep V-shaped valley slopes slightly, leaving a small flat area on the right bank of the river, forming a miniature basin encircled by three mountains amidst peaks averaging over 1,000 meters in elevation.

Due to the high mountains and deep valleys, the middle and lower reaches of the Chishui River experience a dry-hot valley climate effect: the moist southeastern monsoon deposits ample rainfall on windward slopes as it traverses the long mountain ranges, but transforms into dry "föhn winds" on leeward slopes. Combined with high temperatures from low latitude and low altitude, moisture in the air rapidly dissipates.

Maotai Town, however, is cradled carefully by the surrounding mountains, retaining ample rainfall. The densely forested vegetation on the slopes plays an irreplaceable role in water retention. Thus, despite high temperatures and long hours of sunlight, Maotai Town does not lack rainfall or suffer from drought. Instead, it becomes a naturally warm and humid cellar, exceptionally suitable for microbial growth. The "three-high" process of Jiangxiang baijiu—high-temperature qu-making, high-temperature stacking, and high-temperature distillation—could only emerge in such an environment.

Deep valleys and dense forests—the sanctuary of the "Jiangxiang microclimate."

The mountains and forests also jointly influence wind speed. According to data from meteorological stations along the Chishui River basin, Maotai lies in the area with the lowest wind speeds. The gentle southeastern winds in summer do not disperse the pervasive aroma of liquor in the town, nor do they disrupt the centuries-old accumulation of brewing microorganisms in the air. Instead, they evenly diffuse the misty moisture from the mountains into every corner of the town, enhancing its fresh and mellow ambiance.

In fact, even within the small area of Maotai Town, there are slight variations in humidity, temperature, and microbial distribution. As the saying goes, "Rain doesn't cross the river, and winds differ within ten li." Examining a microcosm under a magnifying glass reveals endlessly changing details. "Fine liquor is a gift of nature" is no empty phrase.

Around Maotai Town, there is not only lush vegetation but also countless small creatures.

Red Tassel Sorghum—the aroma of liquor grown from the earth.

For microorganisms to work effectively, there is another crucial condition:

In the brewing process of Maotai liquor, sorghum plays the role of "food." Rich in starch, it serves as the energy source for fermentation microorganisms to grow and metabolize, hydrolyzing into sugars under the action of Rhizopus and Mucor, which then ferment into alcohol. The sorghum husk also contains an appropriate amount of tannins, which degrade into phenolic compounds, imparting smoky, soy sauce-like, and creamy aromas to the liquor.

Of course, not just any sorghum can produce Maotai liquor—only the Red Tassel Sorghum from the banks of the Chishui River can nurture the most authentic Jiangxiang flavor.

During grain moistening, Chishui River water mixes with tumbling sorghum.

Red Tassel Sorghum, much like the Maotai liquor brewed from it, possesses a strong personality.

First, it is very "glutinous." Like sticky rice, it becomes slightly sticky and elastic when steamed, making it suitable for multiple rounds of gelatinization. Only such sorghum can yield a high liquor output and produce a pure, clear brew.

Red Tassel Sorghum remains robust even after several rounds of fermentation.

Second, it is highly "resilient." The grains of Red Tassel Sorghum are small and round, with thick husks. Cutting one open reveals a texture as dense and smooth as glass, unlike ordinary sorghum, which shows an uneven white core. With such sorghum, Maotai developed its unique "nine steamings, eight fermentations, and seven distillations" process. Ordinary sorghum could never withstand the repeated steaming and roasting throughout the year, nor could it develop such complex and varied flavors over multiple rounds.

Traveling through the villages around Renhuai, one sees endless layers of sorghum fields stretching deep into the mountains. At the turn of summer and autumn, when the sorghum begins to ripen, fiery-red stalks already bow heavily in the warm valleys.

Vast sorghum fields nestled deep within green mountains and clear waters.

The grains are still tender—the perfect time for harvest. Farmers must race against time, harvesting and drying the sorghum before it overripens, while also selecting the plumpest and roundest grains from the clusters of ears, with not a moment to spare.

Throughout its roughly 130-day growth cycle, Red Tassel Sorghum receives meticulous care at every moment.

The sorghum has ripened, and farmers are busy harvesting it.

Irrigation relies mainly on "heavenly water," which is rainwater. Crops grown in this land are also best adapted to the local climate conditions, and Renhuai's rainy season perfectly meets the irrigation needs of sorghum. Additionally, the ridges where sorghum takes root can be covered with plastic film to retain both warmth and moisture, keeping the roots damp. When necessary, mountain springs are channeled through ditches to ensure "irrigation during droughts and drainage during floods."

The soil, tinged with the unique faint purple of the Chishui River Basin, is rich in colloidal texture, continuously providing the minerals sorghum needs to grow. To prevent the land from hardening or degrading, chemical fertilizers are strictly forbidden in sorghum fields. So, what fertilizer is used instead? Organic fertilizer processed from the spent grains leftover from Moutai liquor production. These spent grains, primarily composed of sorghum, have already contributed their value to brewing and now offer their final service in the fields—a gentle act of "turning into spring mud to nurture the flowers."

Sorghum nearing maturity.

The purple-red soil along the Chishui River: the blood and bones of flavor.

The unique land and water of Maotai Town not only nurture one-of-a-kind brewing ingredients but also subtly enrich the flavor of Moutai liquor in quieter ways.

People may find it hard to believe this fact:

The Moutai distillery by the Chishui River.

The Chishui River flows past numerous distilleries, including Moutai, with countless factories lining its banks. Yet, it remains one of China's best river systems, boasting excellent water quality that meets drinking standards. Its upstream has no factories, dams, or hydropower stations, making it the only major tributary of the Yangtze River without a dam. As a result, it has become a habitat for many rare fish species, earning the title of the "last sanctuary" for endemic fish in the upper Yangtze.

The water used for brewing is drawn from this pristine river. This meandering waterway is vital to the life of the liquor, and Moutai cherishes it as dearly as life itself: the distillery built its own wastewater treatment plant, ensuring that brewing wastewater meets standards before discharge. It also developed a dedicated recycling system for cooling water used in distillation, wasting not a single drop and never allowing polluted water to taint the Chishui River.

The wastewater treatment plant.

Thus, the Chishui River maintains its natural flow, serving as a vibrant ecological corridor that connects three national nature reserves. In its middle reaches lies a World Natural Heritage site—the Chishui Danxia.

The stunning crimson cliffs, ancient tree ferns, and emerald bamboo forests form a Danxia landscape spanning over 1,200 square kilometers. This extraordinary scenery dates back 200 million years to the Triassic period, when ancient lake basins deposited a thousand-meter-thick layer of red sediment. Later, tectonic movements lifted the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, shearing the rock layers between Sichuan and Guizhou and exposing the red cliffs. Over millions of years of weathering, the purple-red soil belt along the upper and middle reaches of the Chishui River took shape.

During the summer floods, the Chishui River turns red from the purple-red soil swept into its turbulent waters. In clearer seasons, the loose purple-red soil silently filters the river's tributaries and underground sources, enriching the water with minerals like potassium and phosphorus—ideal for brewing. In the 1960s, experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Soil Research Institute visited Maotai Town and concluded, "This purple calcareous soil is rare in China and serves as a crucial foundation for Moutai liquor production."

Moutai researchers conducting soil and water quality tests.

The unique soil also plays a role in other brewing processes.

As mentioned earlier, the drying grounds for fermenting the spent grains are made of "composite soil" consisting of purple-red mud, lime, and coal cinders. When the scorching spent grains are spread on the drying grounds, some ambient yeast is inevitably killed. However, the rough, porous texture of the composite soil provides the perfect conditions for microbial attachment. As the grains cool and are piled up, the seeds of life reawaken, infusing the dormant grains with soul. Moutai's fermentation pits are also lined and sealed with purple-red mud, creating a closed yet slightly breathable anaerobic environment where the unique "pit-bottom" flavor of Moutai liquor emerges closest to the pit mud.

The unique pit mud is one of the sources of Moutai's flavor.

Gazing at the distant mountains from Maotai Town, one feels as if time has stood still.

Over a century has passed since Moutai liquor gained worldwide fame, transforming this remote riverside town into a thriving industrial giant. Yet, despite the earth-shaking changes, the mountains remain as green, the sky as blue, and the herons as carefree as ever. Artisans preserve ancient techniques, and the distillery exudes an ever-present, intoxicating aroma year after year. Only the Chishui River, muddying and clearing with the seasons, pulses like a heartbeat, marking the relentless passage of time.

Perhaps this is precisely why Moutai intoxicates: its bones are forged by mountains, forests, and soil, while rivers and raindrops become its lifeblood. This compact world shapes its unique character, with every drop of its mellow richness reflecting the vitality of life.

Uncredited photos | Chen Qingquan