On July 19, Wu Xiangdong, president of the group, announced in the press conference of “the First Session of Original Package Stored Liquor (Bottled)” Experts Workshop held by Hunan Xiangjiao Liquor the official marketing of Xiangjiao 100% fully aged liquor at a price of RMB 880/bottle (500ml). Each will be accompanied with certificate of collection and notarization. This product then became the first product since new regulations being established for “bottled aged liquor”, creating the new era of “bottled aged liquor”.

The marketed Xiangjiao 100% Fully Aged Liquor has “Sealed in 2008 AD” indication and also mini copy of notarization from notary office of Baoqing, Shaoyang City on its bottle. The notarized subject is “the Notarization of Site Supervision in Manufacturing and Sealing of “Xiangjiao Fully Aged Liquor”.

On October 28, 2008, Xiangjiao Liquor filed an application with the notary office of Baoqing, Shaoyang City for site supervision and notarization on its processes of filling, packaging, sealing for storage, and dating and wax sealing, with videos recorded. Each bottle of finished product and packing box has the unique code number. Liquor experts express certainty on this, and regard the third party supervised aged liquor deserves the trust back of the liquor.

Experts believe after tasting and judging, “bottled aged liquor” of Xiangjiao becomes, after long period of bottled storage, much less irritating and spicy, but more exquisite. In the press conference, the media found another hot topic – How long on earth should the “bottled aged liquor” be stored, what’s the suitable alcoholic strength, and which of them are suitable for bottled storage? For quite some time, the so called 30-year or 50-year old liquors are seen on nearly all the shelves in the market, and prices keep growing according to the date of sealing for storage indicated on the bottle.

Shen Yifang, one liquor expert, answered the journalist that the saying “the longer the liquor is stored, the more tasteful the liquor is” is not exactly correct. Time makes liquor mellow. After 3 to 5 years of storage, the liquor becomes pure, soft, mild and mellow, meeting the demand of liquor consumers. More accurately, “the longer the liquor is stored, the mellower the liquor is.”

Guo Xinguang, deputy director of National Food Fermentation Standardization Center of Food and Fermentation Industry Institute, believes that liquor has plenty of cultural characteristics in addition to its quality, style and taste.

Indeed, it’s not necessarily the fact that the longer the liquor is stored, the more tasteful it will become. For example, style of whisky changes remarkably every three years, therefore, those aged 15-year are not necessarily more tasteful than those aged 12-year. The difference lies in their characteristics.

Experts said, all liquor of different aromas with alcohol content over 45° are suitable for bottled storage. However, the Liquor Commission of China Food Industry Association hasn’t come to a conclusion as to which liquors are more suitable for bottled storage, and what enterprises are more expected to produce aged liquor.