The Luzhou Laojiao Distillery is situated in the lush river town of Luzhou, in southwestern China's Sichuan Province. The winemaking traditions of Luzhou spans almost two thousand years, with luminaries such as Guo Huaiyu the creator of big qu baijiu in the fourteenth century and Shi Jingzhang inventor of pit fermentation baijiu in the fifteenth century laying the foundations of this special spirit. The Luzhou distillery is famed for its 1,000-year pit, 10,000-year mash technique involving optimizing the fermentation process that develops flavor over time. In the 1950s Luzhou Laojiao trail-blazed the first modern guide to baijiu production,Luzhou Laojiao Big Qu Spirits, inspiring distillers across China. Baijiu (pronouncedbye-jyo) means white spirits in Mandarin. The secret ingredient in baijiu is qu (pronounced chew), a naturally harvested culture of airborne yeasts and other microorganisms. It makes the taste and scent of every baijiu highly specific to the place it was created. Qu also allows Chinese distillers to ferment and distill grains in a solid state, which creates incredible complexity of flavor. There nearly a dozen distinctive regional styles of baijiu, but there are four major styles: strong aroma, light aroma, sauce aroma, and rice aroma. A balanced and complex spirit, Ming River is the original Sichuan baijiu. Each batch starts with locally harvested red sorghum grain and the purest waters from protected wells. It is fermented in earthen pits with naturally harvested yeast cultures native to Luzhou that impart the distinctive terroir of Sichuan style baijiu. After two months, the mash is unearthed and distilled in small batches using a traditional Chinese pot still. The spirits age for up to two years before the master blender balances them into Ming River's distinctive flavor. The result is an uncompromisingly bold spirit with notes of pineapple and anise with a lingering mellow finish. Perfect neat alongside spicy cuisine or in a cocktail, this baijiu evokes Sichuan with each sip. Pick up your bottle today!