Tasting event showcases unique flavors of Fenjiu

Xinghuacun Fenjiu Group, a renowned white liquor producer based in the Shanxi city of Fenyang, hosted a tasting event in the city of Vancouver in Canada, treating local customers to its latest varieties called Silk Road limited edition.

To attract the attention of young consumers, Xinghuacun Fenjiu invited a number of local internet influencers to broadcast the event online.

Industry insiders and representatives of clients were also invited to the site to taste the new white liquor varieties before their launch in the local market.

Guests at the event were also treated to cocktails mixing Fenjiu liquor with local ingredients.

Executives from Xinghuacun Fenjiu Group introduced the history of the liquor brand to guests, saying that it has a history of about 100 years in Vancouver and the rest of Canada.

According to historical documents, Fenjiu was exported to Canada through the dealer Tianjin Wing Lee Wai in the 1920s.

The dealer in the North China coastal city of Tianjin was a branch of trade company Wing Lee Wai in Hong Kong.

According to Xinghuacun Fenjiu executives, the distiller first set foot in Hong Kong at the beginning of the 20th century. From Hong Kong, the Fenjiu-branded white liquor products were sold to Japan, Southeast Asia and other regions.

Using Hong Kong as an entry point, Wing Lee Wai has been the most important dealer of Fenjiu-branded products in overseas markets for more than 100 years.

Fenjiu began to attract the attention of international buyers in 1915 after it won a first prize at the Panama Pacific International Expo, which was held in San Francisco in the United States. Seeing its market potential, Wing Lee Wai signed a franchise agreement with Jinyu Fenjiu, the predecessor of Xinghuacun Fenjiu, in 1919, to be responsible for the brand's sales in Hong Kong, Macao and overseas markets.

Wing Lee Wai began to ship Fenjiu liquor to Hawaii and San Francisco in the US and Vancouver in Canada in 1923.

To date, white liquor products made by Xinghuacun Fenjiu have been sold to foreign markets through its 50-plus dealers. They are available in more than 9,000 outlets, including 180-plus duty-free shops, overseas, according to the company's executives.

Zhao Qingyuan contributed to this story.

Xinghuacun Fenjiu representatives introduce a new white liquor variety to guest in Vancouver. WEN ZHAOYAN/FOR CHINA DAILY