Did You Know Pernod Ricard Released a Chinese Whisky?

Should you pay attention to Chinese whisky or not? That is the question. Some people are eagerly awaiting it, others are not. The fact is, there are several developments underway. Did you know that Pernod Ricard has already launched a Chinese whisky (amongst other Chinese distilleries)?

Not too long ago, Pernod Ricard - known to us from brands as Chivas and Jameson - launched the Chinese whisky The Chuan 叠川. While the Chinese are not averse to alcoholic beverages, whisky is not that easily found in physical Chinese liquor stores. Discussions reveal that many Chinese consider whisky to be an elitist drink due to its relatively high selling price. The Chinese prefer their homemade baijiu, which is similar to soju, or a well-known brand like Maotai.

But where is the whisky sold? This Whisky Monkey took the test and discovered that it is not offered as an exclusive product in the Duty Free store at Baiyun Airport in Guangzhou. The whisky can be found in Chinese online stores, but unless you get help from Chinese friends, ordering it is oddly difficult due to the Chinese language barrier.

Unfortunately for whisky lovers, the drink is still not available for sale outside China. Although Alexandre Ricard, chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard, hinted last year that this may take some time.

Meanwhile, other whiskies are already for sale. For example, we recently wrote about the Goalong Single Malt Whisky, which was competitively priced online (but is now also sold out).

Other Chinese whiskies that are for sale are for example from Goalong. The distillery has releases a single malt and a blended whisky in a luxurious bottle that makes the Scottish whiskymakers blush. While the bottles are a feast for the eyes, the whisky is not expensive at all.