Hundreds
Water
Hundreds of natural springs fed by glacier melt from the Longmen Mountains — soft, clean and mineral-rich.
Craft & Terroir
Mountain water,
yellow clay, and time.
Great baijiu can’t be separated from where it’s made. Ours comes from Mianzhu, and from a method our region has refined for centuries.
Qifu in numbers
- +1,200yrs
- of brewing in the region, back to the Han
- 779AD
- Records of Jiannan’s annual tribute wine
- 1978
- Our family has run the distillery since
- ~60days
- of solid-state fermentation in mud pits
- 5
- grains: sorghum, wheat, rice, glutinous rice, corn
- +1,000
- species of microbes living in old pits
- +1,200mm
- of rain a year in Mianzhu
- 52% vol
- strength of Bainian Qifu · 8
The place
Why Mianzhu?
Mianzhu sits where the Tibetan Plateau meets the Chengdu Plain, on the “rain screen” of western Sichuan. That position gives the region everything baijiu needs:
1,200+ mm
Climate
Mild, humid and often misty, with over 1,200 mm of rain a year — ideal for the microbes that drive fermentation.
Acidic · sticky
Clay
Sticky, slightly acidic yellow clay, perfect for building and “feeding” fermentation pits.
1,000+ species
Microbes
Long-used pits in the region host over a thousand species of microorganisms, built up year after year.
In 2019 the China Alcoholic Drinks Association named Mianzhu a World Fine Spirits Characteristic Region.
A long history
Brewing here since the Han dynasty
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Han
206 BC – 220 AD
Archaeologists find brewing relics in Mianzhu dating to the Han dynasty.
-
779
Tang · 779 AD
“Jiannan Shaochun” is listed among the empire’s finest wines, and records of 779 AD note spring wine sent from Jiannan as annual tribute. Legend says Li Bai traded his fur coat for a drink.
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Song
Song · 1133–1180
The Neo-Confucian scholar Zhang Shi (Nanxuan) is born in Mianzhu.
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1978
1978
Our family takes over the distillery and carries on the Nongxiang method.
-
2001
2001
Sichuan Mianzhu Qifu Distillery Co., Ltd. is formally registered.
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2016
2016
Named a Nongxiang Demonstration Base.
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2019
2019
Mianzhu is named a World Fine Spirits Characteristic Region.
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2024
2024
Qifu exhibits in the Deyang–Mianzhu Pavilion at the 110th China Food & Drinks Fair.
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Now
Today
Qifu is enjoyed on three continents: Europe, Africa and Asia.
Jiannan Shaochun is the heritage of the Mianzhu region. Qifu is proud to be part of this regional tradition.
How we make it
The Nongxiang way
Strong aroma is China’s most popular baijiu style: rich pit aroma, soft sweetness, and a long, clean finish.
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01
5 grainsPure grain
A multi-grain recipe, cleaned and crushed.
-
02
Wheat DaquQu starter
Wheat-based Daqu brings the wild yeasts and enzymes.
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03
~60 daysMud-pit fermentation
Grain is sealed in yellow-mud pits under a cap of red grain and left for about two months.
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04
Heart cutDistillation
Fermented grain is steamed in traditional stills; only the best part of each run is kept.
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05
Since 1978Ageing
New spirit rests in clay jars; our oldest reserves are as old as the distillery itself.
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06
52% volBlending
Our master blender combines batches for balance and consistency.
How to enjoy
Small cups, raised together
- NeatSlightly cool or room temperature in a small cup — the traditional way.
- With foodSichuan dishes, grilled meat, rich braises.
- At the tableRaise your cup together and say “Ganbei!”
