Overview: Shāng Whiskey represents a new style of whiskey created by Maritine Brands, blending ancient Chinese baijiu traditions with Kentucky heritage. The spirit utilizes red sorghum and traditional clay pot aging before maturation in charred American oak barrels. Marketed by Shaun Hughes, the brand aims to bring a familiar experience to consumers through flavor-balancing processes.
The Full Story
Shāng (pronounced shong) is a Chinese-American joint venture that combines an ancient Chinese spirit called baijiu with Kentucky heritage. It is not often a brand-new style of whiskey hits the scene, but that is exactly what Shāng is doing by marrying an ancient Chinese spirit with American craftsmanship. The East + West Kentucky Blend features vanilla, oak, and butterscotch on the palate, along with unexpected savory umami notes, sesame, and cucumber. Unlike Dàn Yǎ, which retains a stronger baijiu essence with some herbal and earthy notes along with oak and vanilla, East + West goes through a further process to bring it closer to traditional American whiskey.
Currently, Shāng’s products are available for purchase on its website and are slowly being rolled out via distributors into various U.S. states. If you are looking to go beyond ordinary American whiskey, this may be the way. With American cocktail trends inspired by Asian spirits, Shāng may be the perfect whiskey for the moment. Both expressions are more versatile than bourbon or rye, and like baijiu, they shine in multiple cocktails. East + West is perfect in traditional whiskey-based cocktails like a Manhattan, and makes a great old fashioned. It is also fantastic in a highball with Fever Tree Lime and Yuzu tonic, a Negroni variation, or a sour.
Production & Profile
The brand uses red sorghum to produce jiàngxiāng baijiu, pronounced “johng-shong,” meaning “sauce aroma,” a style known for its umami notes. After being distilled and aged in traditional clay pots, it is redistilled and matured in charred American oak barrels in Kentucky for the Dàn Yǎ expression. For the East + West Kentucky Blend, the brand worked with the Whiskey House of Kentucky to produce a whiskey distillate from Kentucky-grown red sorghum that was then blended with the redistilled baijiu base.
Brand & Industry History
Baijiu is described as having a 5,000-year-old history and is typically made from fermented sorghum, though it can be made from other grains as well. According to Shaun Hughes, Shāng’s marketing director, this clear spirit is the most popular liquor in the world. Jiàngxiāng baijiu specifically refers to a style known for its umami notes derived from red sorghum.
What This Means
With American cocktail trends inspired by Asian spirits, Shāng may be the perfect whiskey for the moment. Shaun Hughes noted that going through the flavor-balancing process and then marrying it with whiskey craftsmanship really brings a more familiar experience to a consumer. He stated, “We think both will appeal to American whiskey drinkers.” Hughes added, “I’m finding that those that maybe have deeper palates usually embrace Dàn Yǎ first, just because it has such a bold character, but the East + West Blend was developed to be almost like a stair-step into baijiu for people.”
Consumer Takeaway
Currently, Shāng’s products are available for purchase on its website and are slowly being rolled out via distributors into various U.S. states. If you’re looking to go beyond ordinary American whiskey, this may be the way.
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