Niu Lan Shan Chen Niang Baijiu

Rating: 17/23 This is only the second baijiu I've ever had, so I don't know much about tasting it. I read that this is a strong aroma baijiu, but it's on the light side. So not at all a sauce aroma, which is funny because that's what I went into the store looking for. N: Sweet, melon, anise, twizzlers. Not much alcohol, but something slightly bitter and maybe alcoholic comes through here. P: Hot and less sweet than the nose, but still kind of sweet. Lots of anise, with some significant numbing clove as well. Melon with floral flavors. There's quite an amount of depth here with the layers of melon flavor going on. There's a hint of petrol, but it's not too bad and I guess I feel a bit like that's a standard element of baijiu. It's kind of making me think of a more intense, higher proof junmai sake. There's a bit of petrol burn for sure, but mostly this just seems high proof, not actually harsh. It's a challenging palate for sure, but it's kind of nice. I like it. F: Melon, petrol, and clove oil. Layers of nuanced melon swirl. It's still challenging, but this is actually a really enjoyable finish. - Conclusion - I'm not exactly blown away, but I'm very satisfied with this baijiu. This isn't exactly easy to drink, but I think that it's an accessible entry to baijiu. There's no way this is below a 14, but I don't think it's likely to be above a 19. I'm thinking it's in the 16 to 19 range. Picking now, I'm thinking a 17. For an entry level baijiu, this is a stunner! There's little in this price range that tastes this good.