Five Years Before a Single Bottle Ships

“Moutai is a slow company. It takes five years to produce a bottle of liquor: one year from raw materials entering the factory to brewing, three years of storage, during which the base liquor doesn’t just sit; it requires blending adjustments after a year of storage, and then it must be stored for another two years before it can be used for blending. The blended liquor is then aged for another half year before factory inspection and packaging. Therefore, it takes at least five years from raw material entry to packaging for a bottle of Moutai.”

“The brewing process of baijiu involves raw materials, fermentation pits, water use, blending, and storage, among other steps. The brewing of a bottle of Moutai goes through 30 processes and 165 technical treatments, with the entire brewing process taking at least 5 years. Each of these steps presents opportunities for improvement, whether it’s optimizing processes, replacing materials, or improving efficiency and quality through technological means.”