International Spirits Experts at JIANGXIAOBAI Distilleries
From October 9th to 11th, JIANGXIAOBAI invited IWSC (International Wine and Spirits Competition) London district jury member and Greater China district spirits ambassador Li Surong (Julie Lee), HKIWSC (Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition) jury members Thomas Ling and Addie Nara, as well as other international spirits experts to Chongqing to visit the company headquarters, including trips to JIANGXIAOBAI’s distilleries Jiangji and Lvxi.
During their stay, Ms. Li Surong gave a great lecture on Scotch whisky in front of the spirits experts at JIANGXIAOBAI. This marks the fourth time in recent company history to invite a guest speaker with a big name.
In the sharing session, Ms. Li Surong first talked about the history, scale and system of international spirits competitions such as IWSC, ISC, ISW, etc. to then introduce Scotch whisky from the perspectives of origin, winery and technology. Taking the visit at Jiangji Distillery as an example, she then discussed the similarities and differences between baijiu and whiskey. When talking about the production process of sorghum liquor, many employees shared their expert opinion. For the conclusion of the lecture, Ms. Li Surong brought out her private collection of Scottish single malt whiskies and offered them to the attendants.
At the end, JIANGXIAOBAI thankfully awarded Ms. Li Surong an honorary certificate for her expert knowledge and insights on the development of the industry. Her contribution played a valuable part in the cultivation of talents at JIANGXIAOBAI.
The International Wine & Spirits Competition is recognized as the world’s top wine competition and the world’s largest and most prestigious wine festival. Unlike the UK-based IWSC, the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition (HKIWSC) focuses on Asian wine and spirits brands, speaking for the Asian wine industry. The judges of HKIWSC are world-renowned wine and spirits experts from Asia, and select international brands and products for Asian consumers and the industry.
As one of the world’s six major spirits, baijiu has not yet been able to enter the international mainstream consumer market. For the invited international judges, baijiu is still an unfamiliar category. The Chongqing trip not only showed the visitors the professional quality and brand connotation behind JIANGXIAOBAI, but introduced the guests to the world of Chinese liquor.
This invitation of internationally renowned spirits experts to Chongqing marks a first for JIANGXIAOBAI’s distilleries. Our staff was excited about the unique opportunity to get into close contact with international spirits experts–and learn about whisky. But the learning experience was mutual, and our guests also showed great interest in JIANGXIAOBAI and Chinese baijiu. Some stated that they obtained rare insights and that they are looking forward to seeing more of JIANGXIAOBAI in the international market in near future.
