b'Made from fermented sorghum and other grains, baijiu has been distilled in China since at least the Yuan Dynasty.4 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BAIJIUYouve likely never heard of the worlds most-consumed spirit, but baijiu is a big reason Chinese distillers are interested in North American and Australian sorghum varieties. Compiled by Marc ZienkiewiczITS THE WORLDS most-consumed spirit,1. CHINESE BAIJIU PRODUCERS WANT SORGHUM FROM and youve likely never heard of it, letABROAD. U.S. sorghum was sold to China in alone had a taste. 2019 for use in the baijiu industry, according Its called baijiu, and its been con- to Reece Cannady, U.S. Grains Council man-sumed by the Chinese for a very long time.ager of global trade. Chinese researchers will Distilled from fermented sorghum andexamine different formulations and processes other grains, its been distilled in Chinafor creating baijiu with U.S. sorghum varieties, since at least the Yuan Dynasty, whichcomparing the effect of U.S. sorghum to domes-began in 1271. Its the best-selling spirit intic Chinese sorghum in the distilling process. the world, with nearly 3 billion gallons sold last year, according to statistics. 2. DISTILLERS IN CHINA ARE ON THE HUNT FOR NEW VARIE-Despite being little-known outside ofTIES. Cannady traveled to China in March with China-its home country, the sorghum breed- based U.S. Grains Council staff and a United Sorghum ing community is becoming increasinglyCheckoff Program (USCP) delegation. The group aware of baijiu. Not because breedersvisited baijiu production facilities as well Jiangnan prefer drinking it over other adult bever- Southern University in Wuxi, where research is being ages, but because the baijiu industry is onfunded by the Council and USCP to discover what the hunt for ideal varieties it can use totypes of sorghum are preferred for use in baijiu and produce its prized product. what recipes can draw out the favourable flavour com-Here are three things to know aboutpounds in these varieties.this popular Asian beverage and its con-nection to the sorghum breeding world. 3. TANNIN WAXY SORGHUM IS HIGHLY PRIZED FOR MAKING BAIJIU, presumably because alcohol can be made more efficiently with waxy sorghum due to reduced fermentation times and it is possible that the tannin trait mimics the grain traditionally used for baijiu production, according to William Rooney, a sorghum breeder at Texas A&M University. 4. CANADIAN PRODUCERS ARE HELPING MAKE BAIJIU KNOWN OUTSIDE OF CHINA. Vancouvers Dragon Mist Distillery makes baijiu using a traditional Chinese technique with wheat grown in Dawson Creek. 38GERMINATION.CA JANUARY 2020'