Maotai Town's peculiarity creates unmatched sauce-flavor liquor - A review

Sauce-flavor liquor from Maotai Town stands out from other liquors due to its distinctive flavor profile, described as “elegant and delicate, with a comfortable aged aroma, a mellow body, and a long-lasting fragrance in an empty cup”. This unique flavor has made it an important representative of Chinese Baijiu (Chinese spirits). However, due to the special geographical and brewing environment of Maotai Town, Maotai sauce-flavor liquor cannot be produced outside of this region. What factors contribute to the inability to relocate Maotai sauce-flavor liquor production? Why are distilleries in Maotai Town situated along the banks of the Chishui River? How should a location for a new distillery be chosen? To address these questions, we analyzed the factors contributing to the special flavor of Maotai sauce-flavor liquor, focusing on production technology, flavor ingredients, fermentation microbial diversity, and environmental microbial diversity. The aim of this study was to provide valuable insights and future research directions for addressing the challenges associated with the relocation of production and the expansion of the Moutai liquor industry.