For Chinese distillers, it’s the Year of the Hungry Horse. Chinese President Xi Jinping, in an effort to cut back on the appearance of government and military officials’ high living and corruption, has severely cut back on lavish banquets and heady toasting rounds using the national drink called baijiu. Baijiu is a clear white liquor made from distilled sorghum with a very high alcohol content. The upscale version is called “moutai“ that is especially popular with men who enjoy the lubrication at banquets and business lunches.
The cutback has been so effective that the most popular brand, Kweizhou Moutai has dropped from $330 a bottle in 2011 to $200 a year later. The company admits their biggest customers were the military and the Communist Party. They are now looking for other markets.
Other distillers are also feeling the pinch and going out of business. The austerity campaign is affecting luxury hotels and retailers as well. But as Karl Gerth, history professor at UC San Diego told the Sacramento Bee, while the baijiu and hotel industries may suffer, those who need government help will find new ways to curry favor with public officials.
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