Pernod Ricard's New Chinese Whisky

Drinks multinational Pernod Ricard boasts a whisky stable that includes Glenlivet, Chivas Regal, and Aberlour scotches. It also owns Irish Distillers, which is Ireland’s main whiskey maker with labels including Jameson, Redbreast, Powers, and Midleton. Pernod Ricard’s American whiskey holdings are led by Rabbit Hole, Jefferson’s, Smooth Ambler, and TX Whiskey. Last month, the company unveiled its first whisky from China.

Named The Chuan Pure Malt, this Chinese whisky expression was made at The Chuan Distillery, which is situated in the mountainous Emeishan (Mount Emei) region of the Sichuan Province. It comprises a blend of malt whiskies: the distillery’s own distillate, made from both Chinese and European barley, and distillate sourced from Scotland. The blend was aged in a mix of bourbon barrels, sherry casks, and casks made from Chinese Single Oak—a proprietary wood harvested from the Changhai Mountains in Northeastern China. While there isn’t a formal age statement on the overall blend, it can be estimated that the Chinese component is no more than 2 years old, as the distillery only started production in 2021.

For now, The Chuan is being sold solely in China’s domestic market. The distillery plans to follow up this expression with a single malt.

The Chuan Distillery has also opened a new visitor center. The Experience Center, designed by architectural studio Neri&Hu, will offer guests tours of the distillery, tastings, a gift shop, and on-site dining featuring Sichuan fusion cuisine options made with local ingredients. The center also displays “Fractal Structure—Infinite Shan Shui,” a permanent installation from artist Zhan Wang. For a limited time, visitors can also bottle their own expression from a barrel of their choosing.

Chinese malt whiskies are a rare sight for American drinkers. The first Chinese whisky to hit the U.S. was a 5 year old single malt from the Changsha-based Goalong Distillery. The whisky itself had been around for a while in China, but it was brought to the States in fall 2020 under the World Whiskey Society label as part of a limited run of less than 3,000 bottles. It was packaged in a cut-glass, decanter-style bottle and retailed for around $150. Goalong Distillery makes its whisky using 5,000-liter pot stills, aiming to model the whisky after those of scotch producers like Glenfiddich and Macallan.

Other large drinks multinationals have made significant investments in China-based whisky. In 2021, Diageo spent $75 million to start building the Diageo Eryuan Malt Whisky Distillery, an impressive 710,418 square-foot facility located in the southern Chinese province of Yunnan, about 800 miles south of Pernod's distillery. Diageo's distillery has access to Erhai Lake in the Yunnan highlands, which it presumably will use as a water source. Trial productions have already begun, but Diageo won’t have a firm opening date until sometime next year. Thus it will be several years before we see Eryuan whiskies hit shelves.

In 2022, construction began on Nine Rivers Distillery, a single malt-focused distillery located in the mountains of Longyan, in a woody area in the Fujian Province surrounded by natural springs. The distillery is currently seeking additional investors, having just completed the first phase of its series A funding round last year, which aimed to raise $15 million. The project is helmed by a board that includes Penderyn alum Stephen Davies, who serves as chairman. Stuart Macpherson, the former master of wood for Macallan, also holds an advisory position on the board.