Traditional Brewing Technique of Luzhou Laojiao Liquor — The First Batch of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage
The research and confirmation made by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) experts shows that, “In the same latitude on the earth, only Luzhou, along Yangtze River banks, is the most suitable for brewing excellent and genuine distilled liquor.”
The brewing technique here is originated from Qin and Han dynasty, experiencing the invention of Yuan dynasty, then is set down and fully practiced during Ming and Qing dynasty. The technique passed down till now by the way of master teaching apprentice through telling and comprehension. Since over 680 years, the people inherited the technique reached 9 generation 19 person.
The traditional brewing technique of Luzhou Laojiao liquor is created during the Taiding yeas in Yuan dynasty (1324AD). GUO Huanyu, a Luzhou person, had made the yeast for distilling, named “Ganchun yeast”. The liquor brewed by this yeast possesses the quality of strong aroma, mellow with a long-lasting aftertaste. Improved by some added techniques, the first generation of Luzhou yeast liquor had been produced, which initially invented the technique making strong aromatic liquor.
As Records of Lu County wrote, “Ming dynasty, in the year of Hongxi (1425AD) under the governance of emperor Renzong, using the method of cellar brewing, SHI Jinzhang successfully developed the Luzhou yeast liquor by improving the yeast component of dryness, pungency and bitterness”. This issue had made the yeast liquor brewing enter into the second generation of generating aroma in mud fermentation cellar, which further ameliorating the producing technique, thus helped setting down the traditional brewing technique of Luzhou Laojiao liquor.
In the late Ming, years of Tianqi, SHU Chengzong explored and summarized a whole set of technique and technique of yeast liquor, that is “put distillers’ grains in cellar, ferment in solid state, esterify to be aged and mature, generate aroma in mud fermentation cellar”. It promoted the brewing of strong aromatic yeast liquor to approach success, making the traditional technique perfectly and maturely.
Henceforth, those traditional methods, such as using plum petal and smashed grain, spreading around under the sun to dry, putting them in earthen utensil for steaming, brewing liquor according to florescence, and twisting it by hand…, are incapable to copy, which passed down from generation to generation full of vitality.
The traditional brewing technique of Luzhou Laojiao liquor is the typical representative of brewing technique of strong aromatic liquor in China, and becomes the precious sample of Chinese traditional brewing technique by its particular and outstanding historic, cultural, scientific, national and humanistic value. Inherited the essence of Chinese traditional culture, it is the wonder in the history of world liquor brewing.
In June 2006, the traditional brewing technique of Luzhou Laojiao Liquor was selected in the first batch of national “intangible cultural heritage list”, being the only strong aromatic liquor representative ranked in national level intangible cultural heritage.
In June 2007, LAI Gaohuai and SHEN Caihong were appointed by National Ministry of Culture to be the typical inheritor of this Luzhou Laojiao brewing technique in the first batch of item of “national level intangible cultural heritage”. In this list of appointment, only they two to be elected in the circle of distilled spirit. In the same year, ZHANG Liang was also appointed by Sichuan Cultural Office to be the typical inheritor of this technique in the first batch of item of “intangible cultural heritage”.
In September 2008, as the first batch of items of national “intangible cultural heritage”, Luzhou Laojiao, Mao Tai and Fenjiu liquor combined to apply for world intangible cultural heritage by the item of “Chinese traditional brewing technique of distilled spirit”, which was nominated and recommended to UNESCO by National Ministry of Culture.
The traditional brewing technique of Luzhou Laojiao liquor is created during the Taiding yeas in Yuan dynasty (1324AD). GUO Huanyu, a Luzhou person, had made the yeast for distilling, named “Ganchun yeast”. The liquor brewed by this yeast possesses the quality of strong aroma, mellow with a long-lasting aftertaste. Improved by some added techniques, the first generation of Luzhou yeast liquor had been produced, which initially invented the technique making strong aromatic liquor.As Records of Lu County wrote, “Ming dynasty, in the year of Hongxi (1425AD) under the governance of emperor Renzong, using the method of cellar brewing, SHI Jinzhang successfully developed the Luzhou yeast liquor by improving the yeast component of dryness, pungency and bitterness”. This issue had made the yeast liquor brewing enter into the second generation of generating aroma in mud fermentation cellar, which further ameliorating the producing technique, thus helped setting down the traditional brewing technique of Luzhou Laojiao liquor.
In the late Ming, years of Tianqi, SHU Chengzong explored and summarized a whole set of technique and technique of yeast liquor, that is “put distillers’ grains in cellar, ferment in solid state, esterify to be aged and mature, generate aroma in mud fermentation cellar”. It promoted the brewing of strong aromatic yeast liquor to approach success, making the traditional technique perfectly and maturely.Henceforth, those traditional methods, such as using plum petal and smashed grain, spreading around under the sun to dry, putting them in earthen utensil for steaming, brewing liquor according to florescence, and twisting it by hand…, are incapable to copy, which passed down from generation to generation full of vitality.The traditional brewing technique of Luzhou Laojiao liquor is the typical representative of brewing technique of strong aromatic liquor in China, and becomes the precious sample of Chinese traditional brewing technique by its particular and outstanding historic, cultural, scientific, national and humanistic value. Inherited the essence of Chinese traditional culture, it is the wonder in the history of world liquor brewing.
In June 2006, the traditional brewing technique of Luzhou Laojiao Liquor was selected in the first batch of national “intangible cultural heritage list”, being the only strong aromatic liquor representative ranked in national level intangible cultural heritage.In June 2007, LAI Gaohuai and SHEN Caihong were appointed by National Ministry of Culture to be the typical inheritor of this Luzhou Laojiao brewing technique in the first batch of item of “national level intangible cultural heritage”. In this list of appointment, only they two to be elected in the circle of distilled spirit. In the same year, ZHANG Liang was also appointed by Sichuan Cultural Office to be the typical inheritor of this technique in the first batch of item of “intangible cultural heritage”.In September 2008, as the first batch of items of national “intangible cultural heritage”, Luzhou Laojiao, Mao Tai and Fenjiu liquor combined to apply for world intangible cultural heritage by the item of “Chinese traditional brewing technique of distilled spirit”, which was nominated and recommended to UNESCO by National Ministry of Culture.