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 Hoyos-Villegas back in the day with his first mentor, Idupulapati Rao of CIAT. 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 ABROAD. and youve likely never heard of it, letU.S. sorghum was sold to China in 2019 for use in the alone had a taste. baijiu industry, according to Reece Cannady, U.S. Grains Its called baijiu, and its been con- Council manager of global trade. Chinese researchers sumed by the Chinese for a very longwill examine different formulations and processes for time. Distilled from fermented sorghumcreating baijiu with U.S. sorghum varieties, comparing and other grains, its been distilled inthe effect of U.S. sorghum to domestic Chinese sorghum China since at least the Yuan Dynasty,in the distilling process. which began in 1271. Its the best-selling spirit in the world, with nearly 3 bil- 2. DISTILLERS IN CHINA ARE ON THE HUNT FOR NEW VARIETIES. lion gallons sold last year, according toCannady traveled to China in March with China-statistics. based U.S. Grains Council staff and a United Sorghum Despite being little-known outside ofCheckoff Program (USCP) delegation. The group its home country, the sorghum breed- visited baijiu production facilities as well Jiangnan ing community is becoming increasinglySouthern University in Wuxi, where research is being aware of baijiu. Not because breedersfunded by the Council and USCP to discover what prefer drinking it over other adult bever- types of sorghum are preferred for use in baijiu and ages, but because the baijiu industry iswhat recipes can draw out the favourable flavour com-on the hunt for ideal varieties it can usepounds in these varieties.to produce its prized product.Here are four things to know about3. TANNIN WAXY SORGHUM IS HIGHLY PRIZED FOR MAKING this popular Asian beverage and its con- BAIJIU, presumably because alcohol can be made more nection to the sorghum breeding world. efficiently with waxy sorghum due to reduced fer-mentation times and it is possible that the tannin trait mimics the grain traditionally used for baijiu produc-tion, 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. INTERNATIONAL EDITION 2020 GERMINATION.CA 5'