Luzhou Laojiao Zisha Daqu

Rating: 18/23 N: Proofy with sweet black licorice and notes of tropical fruits. Passionfruit, banana, mango. A touch of paper as well. P: Tropical fruits and big proof hit first, but then earthy nuance comes out and the character develops. Clay pots with some straw. A touch of ferrous mud. There's a richness that is slightly savory. Numbing. A hint of melon that I didn't get on the nose. F: Dry with an odd combination of tropical fruits, hay, and mud. Not bad, but lacking the coherence I'd really hope for with this - Conclusion - This is interesting. It has that core baijiu flavor, but also some more interesting notes. They're a bit challenging though and sometimes the overall profile ends up tasting a bit watery, despite the proofy punch up front. This is less approachably tropical and clean than Niu Lan Shan Chen Niang Baijiu (17/23), but it also shows less alcohol flavor. It's an interesting comparison. I feel like this is technically better, but I also find it more challenging. Maybe this one is a 17 as well. I like that this is mellower and more nuanced, but it has issues. Maybe this is an 18? It isn't pleasant enough to be a 20 and I do see arguments for going under a 17. I think I'll go with an 18. The main problem I have is that the mud is a bit too ferrous.

Nose: Grilled pineapple, pineapple flavoured sweets, apricot eau-de-vie, lemon detergent, earth-floored cellars, sweetly-decaying waterlogged wood stumps festooned with fungus, wet autumn leaves crushed underfoot on a forest trail. Apples left to naturally rot and ferment from wild yeasts. Steamed grains, heavily perfumed flowers and sesame oil. There is something else fragrant and exotic that reminds me of childhood holidays but I can't work out why I have that association. Palate: Sweet and tingling on the arrival with an emphasis on blood orange, grapefruit, mango, papaya, peach, apricot, pineapple, sweet cinnamon, acid-lemon candy and a dusting of very mild chili. More pineapple and papaya flavours emerge as it begins its long development which centres on tropical fruit and yeasty, earthy, mushroom flavours that have a robust umami quality (these are not meaty umami flavours, they are fruity and earthy). The texture is excellent – creamy, slightly oily and with a satisfying weight, but it is not syrupy, cloying or overly dense – in fact it is brisk and fresh. Finish: Medium. Slightly spritzy, with very mild white pepper and lingering sweet and sour tropical fruit. This very fine baijiu is produced by the Luzhou Laojiao distillery which is situated on the Yangtse river in Sichuan. It is the longest continuously worked Chinese distillery, having been founded in the 13th century of the western calendar. Their fermentation pits were dug around 600 years ago when they started working with big qu and specializing in strong aroma baijiu, and these same pits have been in operation ever since. The word "zisha" in the name refers to the purple-brown clay used for the bottle. The process of making the spirit is like a solera, but at the production phase rather than during maturation, because the same batch of mash is continually fermented and distilled in an unending cycle … for centuries. This allows yeasts and bacteria to develop in the pit. Some of the mash is removed and some fresh grain is added every cycle and the mash is then returned to the same mud fermentation pit to start again. The oldest of these pits has been worked since 1573. This distillery literally wrote the book on how to produce big qu strong aroma baijiu. Strong aroma baijiu is frequently, as here, characterised by tropical fruit and earthy flavours and to a western palate it initially smells and tastes like a curious sort of tropical fruit liqueur with very little sugar – sort of like an earthy pineapple eau-de-vie. This is an excellent example and one of the most agreeable baijiu I have tasted. I would commend it to anyone who is at all “baijiu-curious” but uncertain where to start. [One note of warning - do not nose the dry glass. Baijiu is best when "wet" and as this one dries in the glass and the more delicate fruity notes disappear it takes on a farmyard aroma that is like walking past a stable that needs mucking out. Don't let that put you off, however. As long as there is liquid in the glass you will never notice it.] Baijiu is a remarkable family of very diverse spirits, and I intend exploring it in much greater depth. It is an acquired taste for sure, but once you do acquire it you’re hooked. Unfortunately only a fraction of what is made is available for export, and the cost of the very best baijiu is very high, as it is a labour intensive and time-consuming production process when done traditionally. Recommended. “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars)