Whisky wooing young Chinese away from 'baijiu' as top distillers target a growing market

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A distillery in southwestern China is aiming to tap a growing taste among young Chinese for whisky in place of the traditional “baijiu” liquor used to toast festive occasions

BEIJING — A distillery in southwestern China is aiming to tap a growing taste among young Chinese for whisky in place of the traditional “baijiu” liquor used to toast festive occasions.

The more than $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.

“Chinese terroir means an exceptional and unique environment for aging, including the water source here — top-notch mineral water. The source of water at Mount Emei is very famous," 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.

Whisky consumption in China, as measured by volume, rose at a 10% 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.

“We see huge potential for whisky here in China. It is a product which is developing very nicely, very strongly," said Alexandre Ricard, chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard. “We do believe that the Chinese have developed a real