A 40-year-long quality dialogue, Langjiu defines a new industry standard with estate-style sauce-flavored liquor

Ask AI · Why Has the Glory of Forty Years of Wine Tasting Conferences Become the Foundation of Langjiu’s Quality Innovation?

Produced by | Zhongfang.com

Reviewed by | Li Xiaoyan

As the breeze from the Chishui River sweeps past a century-old distillery, and the rich aroma of soy sauce matures over time, Langjiu is writing an epic of China’s famous liquor evolving from historical glory to contemporary innovation through a forty-year dialogue on quality. On March 28, 2026, at the “Historical Classics · Chinese Famous Liquor Manor Brewing High-Quality Soy Sauce Development Seminar” held in Neijiang, Wang Guiyu, Ding Qiansheng, Xu Zhancheng, and other members of the national wine evaluation “Top Tasting Team” gathered again to witness Qinghua Lang Manor soy sauce. This industry event not only reflects on Langjiu’s century-old craftsmanship but also marks the beginning of a new era for China’s old renowned liquor brand to break through with the “Manorization” strategy, reborn and heading toward the world stage.

Forty Years of Famous Liquor Glory, Carving the Foundation of Quality

The gene of China’s famous liquor is engraved in the glorious history of the National Wine Tasting Conferences. Recognized as the industry’s “Touchstone of Quality,” the 4th National Wine Tasting Conference in 1984 and the 5th in 1989 laid the foundation for modern white liquor quality, with Langjiu shining as a benchmark for soy sauce aroma.

In 1989, at the fifth National Wine Tasting Conference, hailed as an “unparalleled masterpiece” in the industry, Langjiu achieved dual titles of “China Famous Liquor” for its unique rich character and long-lasting aroma, with both 53° and 39° products winning. It became the only brand in the soy sauce aroma field to win high and low alcohol gold medals simultaneously. More significantly, Langjiu’s outstanding performance prompted the official addition of the “Empty Cup Fragrance Retention” core standard in the soy sauce aroma white liquor evaluation system, establishing a more stringent quality standard for the industry. Ten years later, in 1999, the 39° Langjiu received authoritative certification, designated as the “National Standard Sample for Low-Alcohol Soy Sauce Aroma White Liquor,” becoming the industry’s measure for low-alcohol soy sauce aroma liquor, with its flavor profile and quality logic serving as technical references across the category.

Forty years later, the wine tasting experts reunited to appreciate the flavors of Langjiu across the decades. The 1984 53° Langjiu was described as “golden yellow and transparent, with prominent soy sauce aroma, elegant aged aroma, and rich fullness”; the contemporary 53° Qinghua Lang “slightly yellow and transparent, with prominent soy sauce aroma, elegant aged aroma, and a classic aged manor soy sauce style”; Red Luck Lang is “delicate and clean, soft and silky, with a long aftertaste.” This timeless flavor dialogue confirms Langjiu’s unwavering commitment to the quality of famous liquor—an honor certified by national authority, deeply embedded in its bloodline, and forming the fundamental quality base that spans eras.

Craftsmanship and Innovation, Standards as the Foundation

The glory of famous liquor stems from relentless craftsmanship and continuous innovation. Building on traditional soy sauce aroma techniques, Langjiu has constantly broken through and refined, establishing a leading quality system that revitalizes historical classics in the modern era.

Based on the traditional “12987” Daqu Kunsha process, Langjiu first summarized the core theory of “Four Highs and Two Longs”—high-temperature fermentation, high-temperature stacking, high-temperature fermentation, high-temperature flow of liquor, with long production cycles and aging times. This theory has been written into industry textbooks and has become the core principle of soy sauce aroma brewing. It also pioneered the “13569” blending technique, which involves a 1-year base liquor cycle, 3 levels of grading, 5 types of storage, 6 rounds of selection, and 9 blending steps, creating a closed-loop process from brewing to blending.

More industry-significant is the 2022 release of the “Langjiu Soy Sauce Aroma Product Internal Control Guidelines,” which set 115 strict standards covering production areas, raw materials, brewing, and products, ensuring every step of brewing is transparent and standardized under strict “iron rules.” From the ordered planting of glutinous red sorghum in the fields, to digital monitoring of fermentation in cellars; from natural aging in Tiantao Cave, to multi-layer screening of finished products—Langjiu employs a scientific system to safeguard purity and quality, and rigorous standards to reinforce its reputation as a top-tier liquor.

Today, as a core part of the century-old Langjiu strategy, Qinghua Lang fully inherits the gene of famous liquor, blending over 80% of base liquor aged more than 7 years with 20-year-old aged liquor to craft a style characterized by “cave-aged aroma and full Lang flavor.” Red Luck Lang, with its rare quality, blends base liquor over 12 years with 30-year-old cave-aged old liquor, with an annual output of only 300 tons, representing the pinnacle of high-end soy sauce aroma liquor, each drop embodying the highest respect for time and terroir.

Manor Model Innovation, Reconstructing Value Expression

If “Chinese Famous Liquor” is the foundation of Langjiu’s history, then “Manor Soy Sauce Liquor” defines its future direction. From the official launch of Langjiu Manor in 2020 to the release of the “China Lang · Manor Soy Sauce Liquor Blue Paper” in 2025, Langjiu has embarked on a differentiated evolution from “famous liquor” to “famous estate,” pioneering a new paradigm for quality expression in Chinese white liquor.

The Langjiu Manor, built over 18 years with an investment exceeding 20 billion yuan, is located on the left bank of the Chishui River in Erlang Town, covering 10 square kilometers. It connects the core ecological brewing area, four major storage zones, and a full-scenario experience system. It features the world’s largest open-air ceramic fermentation vessel “Ten Miles Fragrant Square,” with thousands of clay jars lined along the hillside; the “Thousand Memories Aroma Valley” with a total storage capacity of over 160k tons and 88 massive storage tanks; and the largest natural wine cellaring cave group in the world, including Tiantao Cave, Dibao Cave, and Renhe Cave, covering over 100k square meters, with constant temperature and humidity, allowing the liquor to age slowly in nature.

“Born in Chishui River, raised on Tiantao Peak, nurtured in ceramic cellars, stored in Tiantao Cave”—Langjiu uses the manor as a carrier to transform the abstract philosophy of “growth, nurture, storage” into a tangible, experiential, and perceptible quality system. Unlike traditional white liquor brands, manor soy sauce liquor is no longer just a bottle of liquor but a complete value ecosystem integrating origin, craftsmanship, storage, culture, and experience: consumers can explore the brewing process on-site, participate in blending, and taste the flavors amid mountains and waters, elevating liquor from a mere beverage to a cultural carrier and lifestyle symbol.

This innovative expression allows Langjiu to find a unique position on the world stage of famous liquors. Just as Macallan in Scotland tells whisky stories through its estate, and Cognac in France conveys brandy value through terroir, Langjiu uses manor soy sauce liquor as a medium to interpret the quality logic, cultural connotations, and craftsmanship spirit of Chinese white liquor, forging an international path of “Famous Liquor + Famous Estate.”

Quality Anchors a Beautiful Life, Craftsmanship Advances the Era

The ultimate purpose of quality is to create beauty for consumers. Since opening in 2020, Langjiu Manor has received over 1 million visitors, becoming a “dream destination for white liquor enthusiasts.” Here, consumers shift from spectators to co-creators, experiencing Langjiu’s “Customer First” philosophy through tasting, participation, and interaction, establishing deep emotional bonds with the brand.

From the “Three Products Festival” to exclusive member activities, from crossover business schools to the World Distillery Alliance, Langjiu continuously builds a symbiotic system across circles and industries, extending the value of quality. As experts say, Langjiu is “a well-reviewed famous liquor, and also a good liquor that reassures consumers”—this reassurance stems from transparent estate quality control, long-term adherence to the highest standards, and profound insight into consumer needs.

Forty years of upheaval have transformed Langjiu from an old Chinese famous liquor into a top-tier manor soy sauce liquor; a century of craftsmanship has always been guided by the belief that “time is the answer,” innovating while maintaining tradition, surpassing itself through inheritance. Now, standing at a new historical starting point, Langjiu leverages its famous liquor foundation and manor innovation to turn historical classics into contemporary tastes, transforming quality into a beautiful life experience.

From the aroma of the Chishui River to the grandeur of a world-class estate; from the glory of the national wine evaluation to becoming China’s international calling card, Langjiu uses a manor and a fine brew to reinterpret the era of Chinese famous liquor, continuing the soy sauce aroma legend with a new chapter. This is not only a brand’s self-transcendence but also China’s white liquor awakening in the new era—anchored in quality, driven by innovation, and inspired by culture, allowing the glory of Chinese famous liquor to shine eternally through time’s forge.