More than 1770 spirits from 59 countries compete for medals at the Spirits Selection
PRESS RELEASE
Lvliang (China), August 22nd 2019
The 20th edition of Spirits Selection began today in Lvliang, China. 102 professional tasters from 28 countries gathered to taste and rate as many as 35 alcohol samples per day. In total, 1770 spirits from 59 countries are competing for a Silver, Gold or Grand Gold medal.
“The Spirits Selection is being held in China for the second time. The country now plays a key role in the spirits market, both in production and consumption,” said Baudouin Havaux, president of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, at the official inauguration. “We are very honored to organise our spirits competition in one of Asia’s most emblematic alcohol producing areas,” he concluded.
Shanxi province – home of light aroma baijiu
Host city of the 2019 edition of the Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, Lvliang is named after the mountain range that runs 300 kilometres through the region. Lvliang can boast a tradition of baijiu production of over 6000 years. The city, birth place of light aroma baijiu, is home to the largest production of this type in China. It is estimated at nearly 200 million litres, with brands such as Fenjiu and Zhu Ye Qing, Xing Hua Cun, or Fenyang Wang. The city also hosts the “Fenjiu City of China”, the largest baijiu production site in the country, covering an area equivalent to 10 times the Forbidden City of Beijing, with no equivalent in the world. This year the competition received more than 600 baijiu entries, demonstrating China’s power in terms of spirits production.
Baijiu, number one spirit in the world
About 11 billion litres of baijiu were consumed in 2018, more than whisky, vodka, gin, rum and tequila combined. A traditional Chinese spirit, baijiu accounts for 35% of the world’s spirits production and an estimated 38% of world consumption. Baijiu prices can range from just a few dollars to several thousand dollars a bottle. Four of the five most highly valued spirits brands in the world produce baijiu. In 2017, the baijiu industry leader, Kweichow Moutai, became the world’s largest spirits distiller, with a higher market value than the Diageo spirits conglomerate.
The results of the Spirits Selection 2019 will be published online September 6th at: http://www.spiritsselection.com/fr/resultats/
Spirits Selection by CMB is the only travelling contest in the world, and the only one of its kind to carry out checks on medal-winning spirits.
For further information: Charles Piron / charles.piron@vinopres.com
