Brewing techniques of Maotai liquor

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: brewing techniques of Maotai liquor

Applicant: Guizhou Province

Project No.: 407

Project No.: VIII - 57

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Guizhou Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Guizhou Province

Protection unit: China Guizhou Maotai distillery (Group) Co., Ltd

Introduction of Maotai liquor brewing technology:

Applicant: Guizhou Province

Guizhou Maotai distillery is located in Maotai Town, six kilometers northwest of Renhuai City. It is located on the East Bank of Chishui River, under hanpuling and on the slope of Ma'anshan. It is close to the mountain and by the water, with an altitude of 450 meters. Maotai distillery is located in the upper reaches of Chishui River, with good water quality, low hardness, rich trace elements and no pollution. Due to the slightly acidic purplish red soil, the special climate of warm winter and hot summer, less rain and wind, high temperature and humidity, and the Millennium brewing environment, the air is full of rich and unique microbial communities.

Moutai liquor is Daqu soy sauce Baijiu, and its production process is divided into six parts: koji making, liquor making, storage, blending, inspection and packaging. The whole production cycle is one year. During the brewing period, nine times of steaming, eight times of fermentation, seven times of liquor taking, storage by classification, blending, and five years later, the liquor is packed out of the factory. The brewing of Maotai liquor has the characteristics of twice feeding, solid-state fermentation, high-temperature koji making, high-temperature accumulation and high-temperature wine picking, thus forming a unique brewing style.

Maotai liquor is the representative and originator of Maotai flavor type of Daqu in China with a long history. Among the cultural relics unearthed in the place of origin, a considerable part of them are wine utensils of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, indicating that there was wine at that time. More than 2000 years ago, during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Maotai was able to make wine locally, which was historically known as Goujiang liquor and liquor. At the end of Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty, Daqu was used in saccharification, fermentation and distillation. For hundreds of years, the brewing technology of Maotai liquor has been continuously improved in the process of inheritance and development, and is still fully used. Baijiu experts said, "Guizhou Moutai liquor technology is the most unique Daqu soy sauce flavor liquor making technology, is the human microorganism applied in the field of brewing model." As a precious cultural heritage of the Chinese nation, Maotai liquor brewing technology has been well protected and carried forward, which occupies a very important position in Chinese liquor culture.