Kweichow Moutai isn't just a brand of baijiu; it's a cultural symbol with a rich history and tradition. It's deeply interwoven with a country's heritage and diplomacy, and in Chinese society, it's ever present at celebratory events, holidays, and business dealings. And let's not forget, it's the drink that warmed up the Sino-American relations during Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972.

You see, Moutai isn't just about the taste, it's a symbol of Chinese culture and history. A bottle of this unique spirit is like holding a piece of that heritage in your hands. And it has become so much of a Veblen good in China that bottles are increasingly viewed as antiques or investment. The Kweichow Moutai Distillery has become the world's most valuable distillery, with a value greater than Diageo's 30-odd distilleries combined.

Sotheby's Shanghai has just rolled out the red carpet for Moutai lovers in their second-ever online auction devoted entirely to this iconic spirit. This is happening for the next three days, up till 20th June 11:00am CST (21 June 12:00am SGT).

| Visit the Liquid Jade: Moutai Online Auction in Shanghai (金樽甘露：贵州茅台网上专场)

82 lots of various sets and expressions would be on the auction block, with a selection spanning from the 1980s. We're talking about vintage Moutai expressions a whole host of collectible series and commemorative expressions. The estimated total value of this auction is between 7,059,500 to 9,693,000 yuan (roughly US$1 – 1.3 million). 

Let's have a closer look at some of the intriguing expressions on offer. And let me tell you, these bottles have some fascinating stories to share.

1982 Kweichow Moutai "Five Star Brand" (Brown Earthenware Bottling)

ABV 55%, Est. 240,000 - 320,000 CNY

Our first stop on the auction catalogue is a time-capsule in a bottle, with a huge collector value.

This bottle had been distilled and bottled in 1982 and it sports the "Five Star Brand" logo, rather than the familiar "Flying Fairy" that most of us are used to seeing on Moutai bottles. Why? Let's take a brief stroll down history lane on this logo swap.  

 

The Five Star Brand, introduced by Kweichow Moutai in 1953, is a nod to the People's Republic of China's Communist flag. Yet, due to political sensitivities during the time around the "five stars," "gear," and "wheat sheaves" elements in the logo, potential buyers in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia were a tad wary of purchasing it and being accused of having certain sympathies. Moutai's savvy brand managers decided to switch things up for the exported bottlings, thus birthing the "Flying Fairy" logo, which features a deity from Chinese folklore. Export of Moutai unsurprisingly went up. In recent decades, the Flying Fairy logo has made its way onto the majority of China's domestic Moutai expressions, and the Five Star logo is increasingly rare.

Next, you can't miss the fact that this bottle is stored in an unusual brown earthenware bottle, instead of the modern milk white porcelain bottles. Moutai's move from brown earthenware to milky white porcelain bottles began in the late 1960s and continued through the '80s.

Yet, during this transitional period, brown bottles were still produced, and they were typically reserved for Chinese state banquets or high-ranking government officials. This adds an extra layer of prestige and rarity to 80s' bottlings in brown earthenware.

Finally, it's what's inside the packaging. Vintage Moutai is highly valued by connoisseurs for its unique taste, resulting from the specific microbial communities, fermentation techniques, and environmental conditions of the era. This differentiates it from the more uniform-tasting modern variants, making each sip a journey through time.

So, with this 1982 "Five Star Brand" Kweichow Moutai, we're bidding not just for a unique-tasting bottle of baijiu, but also a slice of cultural history from a bygone era.

View this lot on Sotheby's.

2019 Kweichow Moutai, 50 Years – 70th Anniversary Celebratory Edition

ABV 53%. Est. 110,000 - 160,000 CNY

As a heritage brand, Moutai loves to celebrate significant milestones and events in history by bottling special commemorative editions of their spirit. This bottle commemorates the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, which certainly makes for a huge deal with collectors. 

This bottling contains Moutai that had been aged for over 50 years (albeit blended with spirit of other unspecified ages). And as if that wasn't good enough, the packaging itself is pretty intricate. The bottle comes in a box adorned with gold statuettes of floating fairies that encircle the bottle, with Chinese wave-like motifs from traditional art.

Since the bottle's launch, the price of this edition has been driven up by collectors worldwide.

View this lot on Sotheby's.

2016 Kweichow Moutai Year of the Monkey

ABV 53%. Est. 24,000 - 32,000 CNY 

This is part of a series that pays tribute to the Chinese Zodiac Animals. Each year, a vibrant and unusually coloured bottle symbolising a different animal of the Chinese zodiac is released. And this Monkey edition bottle from 2016 sports a fetching rose gold hue that gives it an added layer of appeal.

The bottle showcases a Chinese watercolour painting of a macaque, synonymous with the Year of the Monkey. And to top it all off, it features writing by a renowned calligrapher, lending a touch of traditional Chinese art to this contemporary creation.

What's even more intriguing is the scarcity of this edition. The earlier zodiac commemorative editions, such as this Monkey Year one, are becoming increasingly rare, pushing their collector value through the roof. It's a fun, colourful addition to any Moutai collection.

View this lot on Sotheby's.

Conclusion

And that's a wrap for now! We've explored three standouts from the Sotheby's Shanghai online auction of Moutai expressions. Each bottle tells its own story, each sip holds a piece of history, and each expression signifies a different facet of Chinese culture and heritage.

This auction is currently open on Sotheby's official site and would close on 20th June 11:00am CST (21 June 12:00am SGT). Click here for a closer look at the various rare Moutai expressions on the table.

Ganbei!

@CharsiuCharlie