Red Star Erguotou is a famous traditional Chinese liquor brand known throughout the country for its “limpidity, fragrance, mellowness, purity, and long aftertaste.” The liquor is made from high quality sorghum, which is then fermented according to traditional craft combined with unique recipe. After steaming and stewing, only the best part will be stored to mellow for a certain period before the final product comes out, thus the name “Erguotou.” It is the first liquor named after the brewage craft in Chinese brewing history. With excellent quality and reasonable price, Erguotou has been popular throughout China for a long time, and used to be sent out as a state gift to heads of foreign governments. The liquor has been sold far and wide to Russia, South Korea, as well as countries and regions in Southeast Asia.

Beijing is an ancient Chinese capital of five dynasties, and Erguotou is the typical representative of the capital’s liquor culture, enjoying a history of over 800 years. It was developed from white spirit, which is so strong that it is dubbed “Shaodao (literally, burning knife, meaning it tastes strong like a knife) of the capital” in Beijing Annals of the Ming Dynasty.

The winemakers in the capital only retained the heartcut in the steaming process, while the initial and the last distillates were discarded. The liquor was then named after this craft. This is the first liquor in China that named after the processing technique, which has played a significant role in stabling the quality. For hundreds of years the liquor has been handed down which is now popularly called “Erguotou.”