Tiananmen Gold Baijiu Jiang Jiu
Tiananmen Gold Baijiu Jiang Jiu is a Moutai-style sauce-flavor (jiangxiang) baijiu from Beijing's Huadu Distillery, presented in a 1-liter bottle — available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: not published — verify from bottle label (sauce-flavor baijiu typically runs high)
- Size: 1L
- Style: sauce-flavor (jiangxiang / jiuxiang) baijiu — "Jiang Jiu" denotes the sauce-aroma category
- Origin: Beijing, China — Huadu Distillery, tracing to the Changping County Brewery of 1949
- Production: developed 1975–1980 with guidance from Moutai's own master, and marketed as "Beijing Moutai"
Beijing's Answer to Moutai
Tiananmen is the flagship sauce-flavor brand of Beijing Huadu Distillery, the only enterprise in Beijing with the capacity to produce all three major baijiu aroma styles. Between 1975 and 1980, Huadu worked with Moutai Group's own technicians to crack the sauce-flavor fermentation process in the north — a style built on long pit fermentation of sorghum and wheat that produces baijiu's most savory, umami-driven profile. The result was a spirit bold enough to be marketed as "Beijing Moutai," and the Tiananmen brand has carried that ambition ever since. "Jiang Jiu" is simply how sauce-flavor baijiu is said in Chinese — this is the real thing, in the Moutai lineage.
Tasting Notes
Nose: roasted sorghum and fermented grain, with the savory, soy-sauce-like umami signature of true sauce-flavor baijiu and hints of toasted nuts. Palate: full-bodied and warm, savory and intense, with dark umami depth and a sweet grain counterpoint. Finish: long, warming, and unmistakably savory.
How to Enjoy
Serve neat at room temperature in a small tasting glass — baijiu tradition keeps pours small and sips deliberate. It is the classic banquet toasting spirit, and it pairs powerfully with rich, savory food: Peking duck, braised pork, and spicy Sichuan dishes all stand up to its intensity. A bottle of Tiananmen Gold is also a serious gift for any collector of Chinese spirits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "Jiang Jiu" mean? Jiang Jiu means sauce-flavor baijiu — jiangxiang, the same aroma category as Moutai. It describes the spirit's savory, soy-sauce-like character, not a place or an age statement.
How is sauce-flavor baijiu different from other baijiu? It is fermented in stone pits with high-temperature daqu, giving it the most savory, complex, umami-heavy profile of all baijiu styles — Moutai being the most famous example.
How should I drink baijiu? Traditionally neat at room temperature in small glasses, often as part of a toast with food. Sip slowly to let the layers of savory aroma open up.
Sauce-flavor baijiu of real Moutai lineage is hard to find stateside — order Tiananmen Gold online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA while this 1-liter bottle is in stock.