NEWS
PERNOD RICARD TO DEBUT ITS CHINESE WHISKY THE CHUAN NEXT MONTH
WITH LIMITED EDITION
By Tony Zhu
18-11-2021
Source: Pernod Ricard
French drinks giant Pernod Ricard will debut its Chinese single malt whisky called The Chuan next month targeting China’s affluent consumers with a view to convert them from the traditional fiery baijiu to whiskies.
Next month’s release will be a limited edition of 100 casks to private clients including members of Pernod Ricard’s Le Cercle programme and other high-net-worth collectors.
Bottles are on their way, subject to the outcome of China’s whisky standard, in which Pernod Ricard is playing a part to help establish, said the company’s Asia chairman Philippe Guettat, declining to provide price details.
“We will first aim to sell to the high-net-worth and middle-class customers in mainland China,” Guettat told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post. “The first bottles will come to the market in the near future, depending on the master distiller’s decisions about ageing, and the outcome of the Whisky Standard of China. When things go well, we will start to sell to other Asian and international markets.”
“With an investment of 1 billion yuan over a decade, The Chuan reflects our commitment to China,” Guettat said. “Pernod Ricard has operated for 30 years in China, which is our second-largest market. We want to be the first international firm to bring to life the most iconic malt whisky made in China.”
Single malts refers to malt whiskies from a single distillery, unlike blended whiskies that combine the distillates of several distilleries.
Source: Pernod Ricard
The Chuan must spend at least two years in an oak barrel, according to the China’s standard for whisky. Pernod Ricard supports a minimum of three years in oak barrels, in its submission to help revise the standard.
“We are hopeful that ambitious quality thresholds on ageing can be maintained to protect the equity and the premium quality of the whisky category in China,” the company said.
Pernod Ricard has big ambitions on making single malt whiskies in China. It is investing RMB 1 billion (USD150 million) over 10 years on The Chuan Malt Whisky Distillery in Sichuan Province in southwestern China.
The name itself is a tribute to the river that runs thorough Sichuan Province. The distillery sits on 18 hectares of land in a mountain range that is considered one of the four sacred mountains in Chinese Buddhism.
Neri&Hu, the Chinese architects behind the New Shanghai Theatre, is the designer of the distillery, featuring a visitor centre that is expected to receive up to 2 million visitors in the first decade from its expected opening in 2023.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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