Kaoliang

Kaoliang

"Kaoliang jiu" (literally "sorghum liquor"; often called simply "kaoliang" or sorghum wine) is a strong distilled liquor, made from fermented sorghum (which is called "gāoliáng" in Chinese). It is made and sold in both mainland China and Taiwan, and also popular in Korea, where it is called "goryangju" (hangul: 고량주; hanja: 高梁酒) [ Korean "Goryangju" is produced in both North and South Korea, but Koreans also consume Chinese- and Taiwanese-produced kaoliang.] . Kaoliang is an important product of the Taiwanese islands of Kinmen and Matsu. "Kaoliang" ranges between 38 and 63 percent alcohol by volume.

Famous Taiwanese kaoliang brands

金門高梁酒 (Hanyu Pinyin: jīnmén gāoliáng jiǔ) is one of the most popular brands of kaoliang in Taiwan. The name simply means 'Kinmen kaoliang'. As the name indicates, it is produced on the island of Kinmen. The mainstays of the range are the standard 58 percent and 38 percent alcohol bottlings.

玉山高粱酒　(Hanyu Pinyin: yùshān gāoliáng jiǔ) is produced by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation on the Taiwan island. It is named after the highest mountain in Taiwan, Yushan/Jade Mountain. One of the most notable products in the range is an 'X.O.' kaoliang aged for five years in tanks before bottling.

八八坑道高梁酒　(Hanyu Pinyin: bā bā kēngdào gāoliáng jiǔ) is produced by the Matsu Distillery on the island of Nankan, part of the Matsu archipelego. The name is derived from the name of an abandoned military tunnel which the distillery took over as storage space for their kaoliang and aged rice wine. It means 'Tunnel 88 kaoliang'. All of the distillery's aged kaoliangs are stored in the tunnel for at least five years.

"Kaoliang" in popular culture

*The 1987 Zhang Yimou film "Red Sorghum" (紅高梁; Pinyin: Hóng Gāoliáng) is set in a rural "kaoliang" distillery.
*The fictional character Li Kao, from Barry Hughart's award-winning novels "Bridge of Birds", "The Story of the Stone", and "Eight Skilled Gentlemen", is named after "kaoliang"; his mother died in childbirth while requesting a last drink, and the abbot attending the birth mistook the syllables "Kao...li...kao..." as her intended name for the child. In "Bridge of Birds", while telling the story of his birth, Li Kao describes kaoliang as "the finest paint thinner and worst wine ever invented."

References

ee also

*Baijiu
*Chinese wine
*Korean wine
*Maotai


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kaoliang — jiu (Hanyu Pinyin: gāoliáng jiǔ) (literalmente licor de sorgo , a menudo llamado simplemente kaoliang o vino de sorgo) es un fuerte destilado de licor, a partir de fermentados de sorgo (que se llama gāoliáng en chino). Se hacen y se venden tanto… …   Wikipedia Español

  • kaoliang — [ kaɔljɑ̃(g) ] n. m. • av. 1948; mot chin., de kao « haut » et liang « grain », par l angl. (1904) ♦ Variété de sorgho. ● kaoliang nom masculin (mot chinois) Variété de sorgho à panicule lâche, cultivée en Extrême Orient. kaoliang [kaɔljɑ̃ŋ] n. m …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • kaoliang — /kow lee ang /, n. 1. a variety of grain sorghum. 2. a liquor made from kaoliang stalks. [ < Chin (Wade Giles) kao1liang2, (pinyin) gaoliang (gao high + liáng millet)] * * * …   Universalium

  • kaoliang — noun A distilled alcoholic drink made from sorghum …   Wiktionary

  • Kaoliang — Kaoliạng,   die Hirseart Kauliang …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Kaoliang — Ka|o|li|ang das; s <aus gleichbed. chin. kao liang zu kao »lang, dünn« u. liang »Korn, Getreide«> eine in China für die Zuckergewinnung angebaute Hirse …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • kaoliang — n. sorghum, any of a number of grain producing tropical grasses …   English contemporary dictionary

  • kaoliang — kao·liang …   English syllables

  • kaoliang — /keɪoʊliˈæŋ/ (say kayohlee ang) noun one of the varieties of grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor. {Mandarin, from gāo tall + liang millet; spelling due to Wade Giles transcription} …  

  • kaoliang — noun sorghums of China and Manchuria having small white or brown grains (used for food) and dry pithy stalks (used for fodder, fuel and thatching) • Hypernyms: ↑grain sorghum …   Useful english dictionary

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