NEWS
COGNAC MAKER CAMUS & BAIJIU MAKER GUJING TO JOINTLY MAKE AROMATIC WHISKY IN CHINA
By Siulan Law Mathews DipWSET
23-12-2024
Source: Camus
French Cognac maker Camus has opened a whisky distillery in China’s central Anhui Province in partnership with the Gujing distillery, maker of the 4th biggest Chinese baijiu brand Gujing Gongjiu.
Located in Bozhou city and adjacent to the Gujing distillery, the new Guqi whisky distillery is said to have involved an investment of USD30 million.
The new site is said to represent a “groundbreaking fusion of Eastern and Western spirits expertise”, by combining Chinese baijiu fermentation techniques, France’s distillation and blending methods and Scotland’s mastery of oak maturation.
The company said Guqi will make the “most aromatic whiskies in the world”. It will focus on two types of whiskies: premium single malts featuring intense aromatic profiles and herbal whiskies infused with traditional Chinese herbs.
“At Guqi, we believe that greatness comes from drawing inspiration across time and cultures. Through the combination of ancient Chinese wisdom and modern Western techniques, we are reimagining what is possible in whisky,” said Ryan Camus, general manager of Guqi distillery.
“We are absolutely not producing Scotch in China. It’s Chinese whisky made in China. We want to show that Chinese whisky is different and just as great as other whisky,” Camus added.
Guqi will offer a limited number of private cask ownership opportunities in 2025 through its invitation-only Secret Cask programme.
Convinced that whisky has a lot of room to grow in China, other global drinks giants have also opened multi-million dollar whisky distilleries in China in recent years.
Diageo opened YunTuo distillery in Yunnan province last month, while Pernod Ricard unveiled The Chuan叠川Malt Whisky distillery in 2021 in Emeishan, also in Yunnan province.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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