Pioneer of Chinese Whiskey | Field trip and interview with Goalong Distillery

China's domestic #whiskey_distilleries have been growing continuously in the past two years. When mentioning Chinese whiskey, the first thing that comes to mind is Goalong Spirits Group , the pioneer of Chinese whiskey. Let us follow the author to visit the Goalong Distillery in Changsha, Hunan, and learn more about this distillery with a distinctive brand spirit.

The Goalong brand was founded in 2011, and Hunan Goalong Spirits was established in 2013. From 2014 to 2015, it began to install whiskey still pots?and distillation equipment for batch experimental production. After achieving experimental breakthroughs in 2016-2017, the Goalong (Liuyang) distillery was built in Liuyang, Hunan. It took four years from 2017 to 2021 to put it into production.

However, the establishment of the winery was not smooth sailing. Mr. Kao said: "As a team that had no funds, no team, and no technology at the time, and started completely from scratch, it was inevitable that the investment cycle would be long." Although there were ups and downs, they still overcame various difficulties one by one. Just like the brand name of Goalong Distillery, Goalong (Go along) keeps moving forward courageously.

For the distillery, Mr. Kao has his own design concept—committed to creating Chinese whiskey. Therefore, the various equipment and distillation teams used in Goalong Distillery are completely domestic.

In terms of raw materials, Goalong Distillery uses imported barley and malts it in domestic malting plants. General Manager Mr. Kao put more thought into the selection of equipment. “Consumers have different tastes. Choosing a taste that is more likely to be loved and accepted by the public is the first issue to be determined and the focus of thinking.”

After determining the main style of whiskey to be produced, the team then comprehensively considered the formation of various flavors and the chemical reactions involved in the production process, and used this to select equipment. “The distillery initially chose two styles of Speyside whiskey and the style of Japanese whisky. When selecting equipment, we referred to the Macallan distiller for localized improvements.”

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In the end, the winery chose a small and medium-sized distiller with a weight of 5 tons and a capacity of 5,000 liters, so that the wine produced would be more refined. At the same time, according to the terroir differences between Hunan and Scotland, the Lane arm is set at a slightly upward slope, and the worm tube used for cooling is also larger. In terms of heat source selection, the winery chose a boiler with thermal oil for indirect heating, which can be adjusted from 110 to 180 degrees. This way, one distillation can capture more of the toasty flavor brought about by the Maillard reaction.

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The distilling process is crucial in the production of whiskey, and the contribution of the distiller cannot be ignored.

Luo Feng, the distiller?at Goalong Distillery , comes from a family of winemakers who have been brewing for several generations. He loves sake brewing and has traveled to various places to learn various brewing techniques. “At that time, I didn’t see anything about whiskey brewing technology in China. It wasn’t until I went to Taiwan in 2014 and read relevant books at the Eslite Bookstore opposite the 101 Building that I learned about the whiskey brewing technology and the brewing technology of barley-based shochu. That’s how I got involved with whiskey, and then I went to Goalong Distillery.”

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To make good wine, raw materials are key.

In addition to selecting high-quality malt, the yeast used in Goalong Distillery is also very particular. It is a fully cultured yeast that has been developed through selective breeding and jointly developed with the well-known company Angel Yeast.

Its distillation team spent about a year conducting hundreds of production tests of various sizes (including 19 large-scale experiments). Through continuous data optimization, the fragrance of fruits was used as the highlight, and the wine output was also comprehensively considered. After continuous development, we finally found the yeast that can produce the desired flavor (floral and fruity aroma, rich wine body, and sweet taste) after continuous development based on factors such as rate, flavor, speed of sugar consumption, and degree of fermentation.

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The water used by Goalong Distillery flows through Fuling Reservoir. After filtration, the hardness of the raw water is below 100ppm, showing natural weak alkalinity. Not only is the water quality good, but the trace mineral elements contained in it also provide good nutrients for the yeast.

In addition, the terrain where Goalong Distillery is located is low in the middle and surrounded by mountains. The temperature difference between morning and evening in summer is large. Compared with constant temperature, it has a greater impact on the maturation, depth and aroma of whiskey.

Regarding wine making, Luo Feng has his own set of brewing rules. "I follow a natural attitude during the wine-making process and use natural laws to brew wine. Respect nature, revere microorganisms, follow the laws of nature, and brew good wine. At the same time, I follow the most sincere principle and insist on using the best raw materials. Brewed with craftsmanship.”

In addition to high-quality raw materials, Goalong Distillery has also invested heavily in the use of oak barrels, buying the best wine barrels from all over the world, including sherry barrels, port barrels, peat barrels, and bourbon barrels. Barrels, brandy barrels, etc. It is worth mentioning that the brandy cultivation barrels used by Goalong Distillery are unique to other distilleries. They mainly focus on domestic brandy, which is rare in distilleries around the world. After the brandy is fully matured and taken out, the whiskey is then filled.

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The winery is also very bold when using barrels. There are no strict principles for changing barrels. Considering the impact of geographical environment and temperature on the wine body, barrels will choose to change barrels when the alcohol is suppressed to a certain extent and the taste is not enough. This creates a special flavor.

At present, in addition to producing whiskey, Goalong Distillery also attaches great importance to the education and promotion of whiskey. They are trying several conventional promotion methods such as participating in exhibitions, opening experience stores, and setting up personal IP and accounts.

There is the Goalong Whiskey Club in the city center of Changsha, and the brand has also held a weekly small tasting party (about 10-12 people) and nearly 10 tastings of 100 people.

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Although Goalong Distillery has not yet officially launched products on the market, it has been actively participating in various international competitions and market activities. It collects market feedback and revision opinions, and uses data as support to conduct product research and development. . "We participated in IWSC twice. The first time we scored 78 points, the second time (2023) we got the bronze medal with 86 points, and we also won the silver medal in SFWSC2023. Judging from the brewing time and performance scores, we have been making progress. , we are satisfied with this.”

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Goalong Distillery is currently experimenting with using rice to create whiskey, and it is expected to launch some new products in the Chinese market this year or next year.

Finally, talking about his views on the future development of distilleries and the domestic whiskey industry, Mr. Kao said that although China’s whiskey market is still only a very small part compared to China’s liquor consumption of over one trillion yuan, Chinese whiskey is likely to become The mainstream of future consumption.

Nowadays, the consumption habits of young people are constantly changing, just like the gradual iteration of light-flavor and sauce-flavor liquors. The next iteration of sauce-flavor liquors may be single?malt.

In his opinion, single malt whiskey can be high-end and affordable for the public, and there will be a good development trend in the future. And this is also an important reason why he chose to invest in Chinese whiskey.

In the future, I believe Goalong Distillery will do better and better and continue to move forward bravely.?

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China's distilleries are both local and run by larger and more mature companies such as Pernod Ricard and Diageo. In the next few years, we will see (their works) from these distilleries entering the market. It is amazing to think about it. People are fascinated.

Goalong actually sets a good example for Chinese whiskey to go global, which is worth learning from domestic practitioners.

website：https://www.goalongliquor.com/

Email：[email protected]

WhatsApp：+86 189 4257 1458