Chinese Whisky: The New Frontier
Five Chinese whiskies from Sichuan, Shandong, and Guangdong revealed a nascent but exciting whisky scene — with Mongolian oak and rice whisky pushing boundaries.
For our most anticipated session of 2026, we turned our attention to China's emerging whisky industry. Five expressions from three provinces — Sichuan, Shandong, and Guangdong — were lined up for blind tasting. The results surprised even our most skeptical members.
The session opened with The Chuan Pure Malt, Pernod Ricard's ambitious Chinese blended malt aged in Chinese oak. The sandalwood and honey notes were distinctive, though the balance needs refinement. But it was the Tsingtao Cask Strength, aged in Mongolian oak, that stole the evening. At 56.8% ABV, it delivered vanilla, chocolate, and tobacco notes with a balance that rivaled established Scotch expressions.
The Grand Talon Rice Whisky from Guangdong offered something entirely different — a smooth, sandalwood-forward spirit that challenged our very definition of whisky. And the Laizhou Peated proved that Chinese distillers can produce genuine peated character with surprising fruitiness.
As we reflected on the evening, one thing was clear: China's whisky revolution is real, and Shanghai is at its epicenter.
Pairing Highlight
Tsingtao Cask Strength's tobacco and chocolate notes paired unexpectedly well with a medium-bodied Habano.
"The Mongolian oak on the Tsingtao Cask Strength was a revelation. I'd never have guessed this was Chinese whisky."
— Member A
"China's whisky scene is where Japan was 15 years ago. We're witnessing the beginning of something special."
— Member B
Tasting Notes
5 whiskies tasted during this session
5
Whiskies
1
Countries
70
Avg. Rating
78
Top Score