Why is Daqu sauce-flavored liquor so expensive?

What is Daqu sauce-flavored liquor? Friends who have tasted sauce-flavored liquor know that according to production techniques and quality levels, sauce-flavored Baijiu can be divided into four major categories: Kunsha liquor, Fansha liquor, Cuisha liquor, and Chuanxiang liquor. Among them, Kunsha liquor, which is produced through solid-state fermentation using high-temperature Daqu as the saccharifying and fermenting agent, is also known as Daqu sauce-flavored liquor.

Daqu sauce-flavored liquor is produced in a 7.5 square kilometer production area in Maotai Town, Guizhou Province. It is made from local raw materials and undergoes a production cycle of one year, with two batches of ingredients, nine steaming and boiling processes, eight fermentation cycles, seven liquor extraction steps, and over five years of storage. Only after passing inspection can the liquor be released from the factory.

Why is Daqu sauce-flavored liquor so expensive

【Raw Material Refinement】

The Hongyingzi glutinous sorghum produced in Maotai Town, Guizhou Province, is the raw material for Daqu sauce-flavored liquor. It features small grains, thick skin, good glutinosity, and resistance to steaming and boiling, and its price is 3-4 times higher than that of ordinary sorghum. To ensure product quality, Daqu sauce-flavored liquor insists on using this type of sorghum, which results in higher brewing costs.

[Low liquor yield]

There is an old saying among the brewers in Maotai Town, which goes, "Five pounds of grain yield one pound of liquor." The yield rate of Daqu sauce-flavored liquor is relatively low, with only 100 grams of liquor produced from one pound of grain, whereas the yield rate of Luzhou-flavor Baijiu can reach over 45% from raw grain. As scarcity makes things valuable, the price of Daqu sauce-flavored liquor is naturally not low.

[Multiple processes]

The production process of Daqu sauce-flavored liquor is complex and the production cycle is long. Starting from raw grains, it involves "nine steaming, eight fermentations, and seven liquor extractions" over a period of one year. Then, after five years of cellaring, blending, and adjusting, a bottle of sauce-flavored liquor takes at least five years to be ready for release. "Brewed once a year and released every five years," the production costs and storage costs incurred during this period are relatively high.

"Difficult to imitate"

The main aroma compounds of Daqu sauce-flavored liquor have not yet been identified, and its unique style can only be achieved through blending base liquors of different vintages, aroma types, sequences, and alcohol concentrations. Therefore, Daqu sauce-flavored liquor does not contain flavoring components (such as pigments, sweeteners, essences, etc.), which eliminates the possibility of reducing production costs through the use of chemical additives.

[High quality]

Daqu sauce-flavored liquor has a slightly yellow and translucent appearance, with a prominent sauce aroma, smooth and mellow taste, and lingering fragrance in the empty cup after drinking.

[Long-term storage]

As time passes, Daqu sauce-flavored liquor develops an "aged flavor," objectively enhancing its effect of becoming more fragrant with age. Generally speaking, aged sauce-flavored liquor has a slightly yellow hue, a lingering aftertaste, a rich aged flavor, good quality, and a higher price.

There are numerous factors that affect the price of Daqu sauce-flavored liquor, which are not listed here one by one.