Maotai () is a famous Chinese liquor, distilled from fermented sorghum. Maotai has an alcohol content of 65% by volume but recently ranging dawn from 35% to 47%.

History

The origins of the alcoholic beverage from fermented grain in China cannot be traced definitively. It is belived to have 4000 years history. A legend said that Yidi , the wife of the first dynasty's king Yu (about 2100 BC) invented the method. In that time the millet is the main grain so called "yellow wine", then rice became more popular. Until later 19th century, the distilled drinks developed rapidly. Maotai is only one of the trade marks of Chinese alcohols named after Maotai in Guizhou Province, but most famous around world since 1912 Panama Expo . Maotai received additional Western exposure when Mao Zedong used the wine to entertain Richard Nixon in the state banquet for the US presidential visit to China. In China there are lot of similar flavour alcohol drinks.

Varieties

The Chinese alcohol drinks mainly divided in two types according to the yeasts used:

• Small leaven alcohol — It generates less heat so only used in the tropical South of China.
• Large leaven alcohol — almost all famours alcoholic drinks in China belong to this type.

• delicate flavour class
  • Fen jiu (汾酒)
  • Xifeng jiu (西风酒)
• strong flavour class
  • Luzhou daqu (泸州大曲)
  • Wuliangye (五粮液)
  • Maotai (茅台)