Baijiu brand Fenjiu has introduced a new expression to its portfolio in the UK through distributor Cheng International.

Fen Chiew Red joins eight other baijiu expressions in Cheng International’s Fenjiu portfolio

To coincide with World Baijiu Day today (9 August), China’s oldest baijiu brand has launched Fen Chiew Red, a ‘delicate’, unaged light aroma baijiu.

Like the other spirits in the Fenjiu stable, the bottling is made using traditional techniques in the village of Xinghua, in the Shanxi province of north China.

Sitting at 53% ABV, the expression is said to offer notes of caramel, ripe banana, mango, pineapple, guava, orange peel, coconut, vanilla and spice, plus a long and complex finish.

Qiqi Chen, managing director of Cheng International, explained the baijiu’s bottle design: “The red colour of the glass bottle symbolises good fortune, and its shape is reminiscent of the large earthenware pots in which organic sorghum is fermented underground as part of the unique Fenjiu production process.

“Sorghum grains are depicted on the bottle, as well as Fenjiu’s logo, a shepherd boy sitting on an ox pointing into the distance. This logo represents Fenjiu’s association with one of China’s most famous poems, Qing Ming, written by the Tang dynasty poet Du Mu, in which a shepherd boy sitting on an ox directs a weary traveller to the home of Fenjiu, Xinghua village, to find refreshment. The two most famous lines from the poem are written in Chinese on the back of the bottle.”

Fen Chiew Red is available to the on- and off-trade through Cheng International for £27 (US$37.50) per 500ml bottle.