Baijiu - China’s Traditional Spirit - Through Maryland's Oversea Distillery

This month we attended the Maryland's Best Expo in Annapolis which is a program from the Maryland Department of Agriculture to connect farmers, watermen, and other businesses to consumers. Columbia's Oversea Distillery poured at the event and Distiller Bret Kimbrough introduced me to their fascinating portfolio that includes gin, rum, single malt whisky, bourbon, and baijiu. Even though Baijiu is one of the world’s most widely consumed spirits, I am relatively unfamiliar with the spirit and Bret related its long history, regional diversity, and distinctive production methods.

Baijiu is a distilled spirit traditionally made from grains—most commonly sorghum, though wheat, rice, corn, and barley also appear depending on the region. It is typically bottled at a high proof and is known for its aromatic intensity, which varies widely across styles.

Baijiu’s origins trace back more than a thousand years. Early Chinese distillation techniques developed during the Song and Yuan dynasties, but the spirit took on its recognizable modern form during the Ming and Qing periods. Over time, regional practices solidified into distinct styles, each shaped by local climate, available grains, and fermentation traditions. By the 20th century, baijiu had become deeply embedded in social and ceremonial life across China. It remains a central part of banquets, business gatherings, and holiday celebrations.

Baijiu production relies on solid‑state fermentation, a method that uses a starter culture called qu. Qu is a mixture of grains inoculated with naturally occurring yeasts, molds, and bacteria. Producers add qu to steamed grains and allow fermentation to occur in pits, jars, or stone vessels depending on the regional style. After fermentation, the mash is distilled—often multiple times—and the resulting spirit is aged and blended. Aging vessels range from clay jars to stainless steel tanks, and blending is considered a core skill in shaping the final flavor.

The primary Chinese Baijiu offered at Oversea Distillery is produced by the Wangdao Distillery Co. located in the city of Ordos in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region and then bottled in Columbia. The spirit is crafted using a mash bill of sorghum, barley, and pea and then aged in pottery jars. Oversea also offers a barrel aged version of this baijiu - the Oversea 6 Years Aged Baijiu - which is aged for over 6 years in China, then finished for one additional year in our Oversea used whiskey barrels in Maryland. Of the two I preferred the fresh, clean, and floral character of the original Chinese Baijiu.

Oversea Distillery includes Baijiu in several cocktail recipes such as the Baijiu Cosmo (Vodka, Baijiu, Triple Sec, Lime, Cranberry), Baijiu Mango Margarita (Baijiu, Mango, Triple Sec, Lime), and the Genghis Khan Mule (Baijiu, Vodka, Lime, Ginger Beer). May I offer a variation of the Genghis Khan as a Dark n' Stormy (Baijiu, Rum, Lime, Ginger Beer). Cheers and happy sipping.