By Avik Das 华夏酒报 今天

BENGALURU: After premium drinks such as Japanese and Taiwanese whiskies and South Korean soju, China’s national drink, Baijiu, is entering India.

Baijiu is the most consumed liquor in the world Baijiu, produced from sorghum – a type of grain – has a long history and a unique distilling technique which has been passed down through generations for about 800 years. It is taken as a shot along with food, but using a smaller amount due to the high alcohol content. It has 50-65% alcohol by volume (ABV). In comparison, the ABV in vodka is about 40%.

The pungent, distinctive, and clear-as-mineral water liquid is being introduced in India by a Chinese spirits company, Chongqing Jiangxiaobai Liquor and VBev, an Indian importer of premium wines, whiskies and beer. Chongqing Jiangxiaobai Liquor is one among many Chinese companies that have their own versions of Baijiu.

About 10 billion litres of Baijiu was consumed in China last year, said drinks research firm IWSR, which is equivalent to filling up 4,000 olympic-size swimming pools.

Oriental drinks have been slowly gaining acceptance in India over the last few years. Rising disposable income and increasing exposure to the rest of the world is encouraging Indians to experiment, and go beyond the traditional whiskey, strong beer and rum. South Korea’s Jinro, famous for its distilled spirit soju, entered India through a bottling and distribution deal with alcobev firm Advent Brand House a few years ago.

“We are not a huge brand in China, being just eight years old, but are a hit among the youth who are looking for something different and fresh. Baijiu can be a good addition in this country,” said Zoe Fu, director of international business segment at Chongqing. Chongqing’s Baijiu has ABV at about 40% in China, an effort to attract the youth.

Baijiu is usually available in four flavours – rice, light, strong, and sauce. VBev is bringing the light flavour, with ABV of 40%, which it feels will attract the young.

“We tried this product with bartenders across cities and realised that this product is more suited for cocktail making,” said CEO Sumedh Singh Mandla, adding that the drink will be rolled out in HoReCa (hotels, restaurants and cafes) and upscale outlets in Bengaluru, before launching in New Delhi and Mumbai.

From Times of India

继日本威士忌和韩国烧酒之后，中国的传统饮品白酒也正进入印度市场。

白酒是全世界消费量最大的酒类。它以高粱（一种谷物）为原料，历史悠久，独特的蒸馏技术已经传承了800多年。它用于佐餐，但由于酒精含量较高，因此饮用量较小。其酒精含量（ABV）可达50-65％。相比之下，伏特加酒的ABV约为40％。

中国烈酒公司重庆江小白与印度优质葡萄酒、威士忌及啤酒进口商VBev联手，向印度引入了这种刺激、独特、如矿泉水般清澈的饮品。重庆江小白是拥有自身版本白酒的众多中国公司之一。

根据国际葡萄酒与烈酒市场研究机构IWSR的数据，2018年中国消费了约100亿升白酒，相当于填满4,000个奥林匹克标准的游泳池。

在过去的几年中，东方酒类在印度已逐渐获得认可。可支配收入的增加和对世界其他地区接触的增加正在鼓励印度人尝试国外酒品，他们的口味已经超越了传统的威士忌、浓烈的啤酒和朗姆酒。几年前，以烧酒闻名的韩国真露（Jinro）公司通过与Advent Brand House公司的装瓶和经销协议进入印度。

“我们在中国并不是一个大品牌，只有八年历史，但在那些寻求与众不同和新鲜事物的年轻人中很受欢迎。在印度这个国家，白酒可以成为很好的补充。” 江小白国际业务中心总监付鹏说。

白酒通常有四种香型——米香，清香，浓香和酱香。VBev带来的江小白是清香型风味，酒精含量为40％，目的是吸引年轻消费者。

VBev首席执行官Sumedh Singh Mandla说：“我们请各个城市的调酒师尝试了江小白，我们认为该产品更适合制作鸡尾酒。”他补充说，这种饮品将在酒店、餐厅和咖啡厅以及班加罗尔的高档商店推出，随后在新德里和孟买启动。

文 | 原载于 《印度时报》

作者 | Avik Das

编译 | 徐菲远