When did distilled liquor originate?

When did Chinese distilled liquor originate? There are several theories about its origin, such as the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty, and the Yuan Dynasty. However, the theory proposed by Li Shizhen that distilled liquor "was first created in the Yuan Dynasty" is widely accepted. So, why did this theory ultimately arise?

01 Origin of distilled liquor

Before the Song Dynasty, the alcohol concentration of wine obtained using the Chinese fermentation method was difficult to exceed 20 degrees. During the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols' expeditions to Central Asia, West Asia, and Europe led to the introduction of Western distillation methods to China. Then, brewers converted the European equipment originally used for distilling wine into equipment for distilling grain liquor. The Yuan people who acquired the distillation method used the characteristic that different substances in the wine have different volatilities to distill the volatile alcohol, obtaining distilled liquor with a concentration of about 70%. When distilling and brewing wine in the Yuan Dynasty, they first used a method similar to that of yellow wine fermentation with koji, and then distilled to obtain wine.

02 The development of distilled liquor is slow

In the early days, distilled liquor was known as shochu in folk culture. Although shochu was already available, there were still only a few people who drank it. The obvious confrontation at that time was not between shochu and yellow wine, but between the liquor produced in the south and the liquor produced in the north.

Bei wine, represented by Beijing, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan, covers a vast geographical area. Beyond its expansive territory, its production process is traditional, with each region following its own practices. However, the production of yellow wine in the Jiangnan region has introduced new techniques, with consistent procedures and the emergence of unified wine recipe regulations.

Therefore, southern-style liquor quickly formed a unified style and gradually spread to the north. By the mid-Qing Dynasty, southern-style liquor had finally defeated northern-style liquor and become a valuable gift. Shaojiu was still limited to the consumption of commoners, while the drinking fashion of the nobility was to drink locally produced yellow wine.

03 The popular period of distilled liquor

Shochu gained popularity not due to its taste, but rather, the economy played a crucial role. The popularity of shochu among northern Chinese liquors surpassed that of yellow rice wine after the mid-Qing Dynasty, and the social drinking customs also began to favor shochu. Some believe that the main reason for this is that "yellow rice wine has a low alcohol content but a high price, and it is not easy to get drunk even when consumed in large quantities, so the overall cost of drinking is high. Shochu has a high alcohol content and is easy to get drunk, so the cost of consumption is significantly lower than that of yellow rice wine."

In contrast to the expansion of shochu, yellow wine experienced a decline during this period. In the late Qing Dynasty, peasant uprisings broke out continuously in various provinces across the north and south, and wars and upheavals were widespread. The canal route for Shaoxing yellow wine to Beijing and the land transportation routes to the south were often blocked by warfare. Coupled with the fact that yellow wine was not conducive to rough handling and long-term storage, its sales were severely hindered.

Two factors jointly led to the peak in the number and output value of distilleries during this period.