The expansion of Chinese whiskies to the external market has been a closed tabu for centuries, as the Chinese continue to restrict the distribution of their spirits within its geographical boundaries. However, top spirits retailer and distributor, The Whisky Exchange, has announced that it will offer the first Chinese whiskies – available in stores in the UK market.
The Goalong Distillery is located in the Hunan province of south-central China and has become the first Chinese whisky maker to export locally made spirits. The distillery boasts a portfolio decorated with a blended whisky and a duo of five-year-old single malts, as well as a gin.
Dawn Davies MW who directs the purchasing department at The Whiskey Exchange was upbeat about the initiating process: “‘We have recently seen a growing interest in whiskies that come from all over the world, not just those that from traditional whisky-producing countries, so to add the first Chinese whisky to our range and introduce it to the UK is very exciting.
‘There are many new distilleries opening up in China, both local producers as well as the bigger more established companies like Pernod Ricard and Diageo, and it will be fascinating to see those come to the market over the next few years.
“Could China be the next Japan? We will have to wait and see.”
The Chines spirit market is one of the largest in the world worth over $269.1 billion. Of that total 156 million cases of whisky are sold each year. The high local consumption does not create the need for export and with tight internal laws, very few companies have tried.
The Goalong Distillery is located in Changsha, which is the capital of and largest city in the Hunan province The Goalong Liquor brand started in 2011 and produces a unique whisky made from Australian barley, a practice not common in whisky makes.
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