Young people and alcohol. Yes, that thorny issue is back in the headlines, but not for rowdy, reckless behaviour on account of one too many, but rather students’ studies of how to make the stuff, right here in a city in our very own Jiangsu Province.
On 14 November, local media headed out to an unspecified university in Huai’an City. There, they found that a course in self-distilling technology had been established, in order to better cultivate talent in the industry.
The choice of Huai’an by local education authorities is not without reason. The City is home to some of the highest-quality rice in China. And here, people don’t just eat it, they distill it. Into baijiu, China’s infamous form of hard liquor.
Put that with Huai’an’s reputation as “Granary of the World”, and your baijui distillery is just about ready to go.
Huang Chuang teaches students enrolled in the Baijiu Brewing Technology course. Therein, they receive 32 class hours of instruction, in which they come to an understanding of baijiu culture, as well learning how to select materials, together with the secrets of yeast, fermentation and distillation.
Huang revealed to The Paper that the students are “very interested and involved”, while their assigned homework is to distill a bottle of baijiu by the end of the course. This is then kept sealed and only opened upon graduation.
Away from any argument over the political correctness of letting students drink very strong alcohol, the distilling of such is an enormous money maker. And the industry needs young talent to come in and in time become the new masters of the game.
It’s hardly a new concept. But while there are literally thousands of options for aspiring brewmasters, those for distilling are considerably more limited.
The Distilling University, for example, offers highly specialised, online distilling classes that accentuate the mash-up of art and science in the pursuit of high-quality spirits production.
Want something in person? Louisville, Kentuky, USA-based Moonshine University (slogan: the highest-proof education money can buy) gives students technical training and business management education for start-ups, industry professionals and those looking for careers in the distilling industry.
But participants in these courses are well over 18. Back in Huai’an, however, we find Yuan Jingxin, a young student taking the baijiu course. “We usually do a lot of experiments related to distilling alcohol and have come to realise that there are many kinds; yellow rice wine and fruit wine, for example”, Jingxin said.
“I always feel I have succeeded when I have distilled enough baijiu.”
