Wuliangye in elite circles, boosts international profile

A delegation from Wuliangye Group Co met the UK's Prince Charles and helped him celebrate his 65th birthday on Nov 21 with a gift of Wuliangye liquor.

The day before, the Sichuan distiller held a liquor tasting event for the House of Lords.

"These are very meaningful and important steps in our global strategy," said CEO Liu Zhongguo.

The gift to the prince was received with appreciation by the British royal family, said company officials.

Wuliangye has raised its profile in European and American markets in recent years, Liu said.

"We want to share our best liquor from China with the rest of the world and meanwhile promote cultural communication between the East and West," he said.

More than 50 politicians and business leaders from England and Ireland attended the event in London including Irish parliamentarian John Laird and Michelle Bloomfield, business development director at Invest Northern Ireland.

Wuliangye representatives gave presentations and showed documentary films about the distiller's history to the audience during the event.

"People are very interested in the Chinese liquor," Liu said. "We also discussed Wuliangye's future business opportunities in Europe with the guests."

Liu said Wuliangye's unique production process and distinctive flavor help it to stand out in the European liquor market.

Wuliangye liquor is made in 600-year-old cellars built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), which give the liquor a lasting and versatile flavor, according to the company's written history.

Its formula is no secret, but other liquor makers cannot imitate Wuliangye because they lack the aging cellars and production methods handed down from ancient times.

Just like silk, tea and calligraphy, Chinese liquor is a treasure from Chinese history, Liu said.

The number five is meaningful in traditional Chinese culture. The ancients believed the world is created from five elements.

So Wuliangye - literally five-grain liquor - is made with broomcorn, rice, glutinous rice, wheat and corn.

"There is culture and history in every drop of our liquor," Liu said.

To date, the liquor has won 39 international awards. It was also termed one of the most respectful Chinese enterprises by the Wall Street Journal.

"In addition to Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States are taking an increasingly important roles in our global strategy," Liu said.

"We are trying to promote the brand as well as Chinese liquor culture in those areas."

The company has opened more stores abroad and is in discussion with US liquor giant Brown-Forman Corp on business cooperation.

It has also held liquor tasting events and joined various exhibitions in England, France, Spain and Italy to boost its global image.

"In the next few years, we will launch a sales center in Europe, so our consumers there can easily access Wuliangye and have a chance to sip the fine liquor from China," said Liu.