What is the difference between Kunsha wine and Cuisha wine?  

We know that sauce-flavored liquor plays a very important role in life, which also allows liquor enthusiasts to have many choices when selecting Baijiu. With the improvement of people's living standards, nowadays people pay more and more attention to the quality of liquor. However, there are many inferior liquors on the market that interfere with consumers' choices. Friends who often drink sauce-flavored liquor have heard of Kunsha liquor, crushed sand liquor, turned sand liquor, and cross-flavor liquor, but what are their differences, and what are the differences in taste? Today, Laijia liquor will explain the difference between Kunsha liquor and crushed sand liquor?

These words are actually all from the Guizhou dialect. "Sha" does not mean "sand" as we commonly understand it. In the Zunyi region, "sha" refers to red sorghum, specifically the locally produced "Hongyingzi" sorghum. Because the locally produced sorghum is small and red, it is called "sha". Hongyingzi sorghum is also known as glutinous sorghum, with small grains, thick husks, and high starch content, which can withstand multiple steaming and boiling processes. Out-of-town sorghum is generally drained after the fifth distillation, while only local sorghum can complete seven distillations. "Xiasha" refers to the main ingredient used in liquor production - sorghum.

"Kun" (坤) is homophonous with "捆" (bind), which means completeness. It refers to maintaining the round shape and round grains of sorghum. Red sorghum, also known as glutinous sorghum, has small grains, thick husks, and high starch content, making it resistant to multiple steaming and boiling processes.

In fact, during the production of Kunsha liquor, the raw materials are still allowed to maintain a breakage rate of about 20%. Not all raw materials remain intact, as breakage is necessary to effectively drive fermentation. This process is characterized by a long production cycle, with one year constituting one production cycle, which is divided into seven liquor extractions. The commonly mentioned "nine distillations, eight fermentations, seven liquor extractions, and two material additions" actually refer to the "returning of the sand" process in Kunsha liquor. After fermentation, the raw materials produce a mellow sauce aroma and a rich flavor, with the characteristic of becoming more fragrant with age. The disadvantage is that the liquor quality is relatively strong, which may be unacceptable to some people. In addition, this process has a low liquor yield and high brewing costs, usually requiring three years of aging and secondary blending before it can be sold.

Good Kunsha liquor has a strong lacquer flavor, with a prominent soy sauce taste upon entry, slightly bitter yet sweet, and a subtle aroma of coke and flowers mixed within the soy sauce fragrance. These scents unfold layer by layer in the mouth, creating a delicate texture and an elegant and long aftertaste. Generally, Kunsha liquor has a stronger lacquer flavor, prominent soy sauce taste upon entry, slightly prominent bitterness, a hint of coke aroma, and subtle floral fragrance, but the layers are not rich enough, and the aftertaste is elegant. This type of liquor is commonly found in Kunsha liquor that has undergone many rounds of blending, such as the 6th or 7th round. New Kunsha liquor has too much vitality upon entry, with a clear soy sauce fragrance, but due to its strong and pungent taste, it is not suitable for careful tasting. New liquor needs to be aged for more than half a year before it can be consumed.

Crushed sorghum refers to sorghum that has been crushed, which involves breaking down and grinding the raw material into powder. The production process of crushed sorghum liquor is relatively quick, with a shorter production cycle and a high yield rate. It does not require a strict "returning sand" process, and typically, the liquor in the grains can be extracted after two or three roasting cycles. The production cost of this type of baijiu is lower. Maotai Prince Liquor falls under the category of crushed sorghum liquor. This type of liquor has a distinct soy sauce aroma, which is muffled and not loud upon entry, with no paint-like sensation. However, it is soft and not bitter on the palate, slightly sweet, with basically no or vague layers, and a slight or no burnt aroma.

This broken sand wine has a muffled and not loud sauce aroma upon entry, with no painty sensation. However, it is soft and not bitter on the palate, slightly sweet. Generally, there is no sauce sensation or only a slight sauce sensation in the first stage, gradually gaining strength in the middle stage but still soft and weak, with basically no layers or blurred layers, a slight burnt aroma or no burnt aroma, with a slightly blurred floral aroma or no floral aroma, and a clean and short aftertaste.

Due to different production processes, the quality and taste of Baijiu produced vary accordingly. In daily life, it can be observed that Moutai indeed exhibits different sauce-flavor characteristics. This is the difference between Kunsha and Cuisha.