A distillery in southwestern China is aiming to tap a growing taste among young Chinese for whisky in place of the traditional \u201cbaijiu\u201d liquor used to toast festive occasions. The more than USD 100 million distillery owned by Pernod Ricard at the UNESCO World Heritage site Mount Emei launched a pure-malt whisky, The Chuan, earlier this month. The French wine and spirits group says it is produced using traditional whisky-making techniques combined with Chinese characteristics including locally grown barley and barrels made with oak from the Changbai mountains in northeastern China.<\/p>\n
\u201cChinese terroir means an exceptional environment for ageing, including the water source here \u2013 top-notch mineral water. The source of water at Mount Emei is very famous,\u201d says Yang Tao, master distiller at the distillery. A centuries-old drink, whisky is relatively new to China, but there are already more than 30 whisky distilleries in the mainland, according to the whisky website Billion Bottle.<\/p>\n
Whisky consumption in China, as measured by volume, rose at a 10 per cent compound annual growth rate from 2017 to 2022, according to IWSR, a beverage market analysis firm. Sales volume is forecast to continue to grow at double digit rates through 2028, according to Harry Han, an analyst with market research provider Euromonitor International. \u201cWe see huge potential for whisky here in China. It is a product which is developing very nicely, very strongly,\u201d said Alexandre Ricard, chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do believe that the Chinese have developed a real taste, particularly for malt whisky.\u201d Raymond Lee, founder of the Single Malt Club China, a whisky trading and distribution company in Beijing, said whisky has become more popular as the economy has grown. \u201cAs the economy develops and personal income increases, many people are pursuing individuality. In the past we all lived the same lives. When your economic conditions reach a certain level, you will start to seek your own individuality. Whisky caters just to the consumption mindset of these people. And its quality is very different from that of other alcoholic drinks,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
On a recent Friday night at a bar in Beijing, 28-year-old Sylvia Sun, who works in the music industry, was enjoying a whisky on the rocks. \u201cThe taste of it lingers in your mouth for a very long time. If I drink it, I will keep thinking about it the rest of tonight,\u201d she said. Lee, who has been in the industry for more than 35 years, said the whisky boom is largely driven by younger Chinese who are more open to Western cultures and lifestyles than their parents\u2019 generation was. More than half of China\u2019s whisky consumers are between 18 and 29 years old, according to an analysis based on data from the e-commerce channel of Billion Bottle, which has more than 2 million registered users.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow the country is more and more open, and there are increasing opportunities to go abroad, and they have absorbed different kinds of cultures. They also have the courage to try new things. When they try something new \u2013 for example whisky \u2013 they realize that it\u2019s very different from China\u2019s baijiu. Whisky may be easier for them to accept,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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