This Chinese Fusion Spirit Has A Fresh Take On Classic American Whiskey

If American whiskey has begun to feel a bit boring or you're looking for something off the beaten booze path, ‍Shāng Whiskey may be what your bar cart needs. It's not often a brand-new style of whiskey hits the scene, but that's exactly what Shāng (pronounced shong) is doing by marrying an ancient Chinese spirit called baijiu (pronounced bye-joe) with Kentucky heritage. The result is something wholly different that retains tasting notes American whiskey drinkers are familiar with. Its expression East + West Kentucky Blend features vanilla, oak, and butterscotch on the palate, along with unexpected savory umami notes, sesame, and cucumber, among others. It also has a round softness, making it less intense than many American whiskeys. 

These more unusual flavors come from the baijiu. This clear spirit with a 5,000 year-old history is typically made from fermented sorghum, but can be made from other grains as well. There are a variety of styles with different tasting notes, but it often includes a pungent earthiness. It's the most popular liquor in the world, according to Shaun Hughes, Shāng's marketing director. 

Shāng, which is made by a Chinese-American joint venture, Maritine Brands, uses red sorghum to produce jiàngxiāng baijiu, pronounced "johng-shong," meaning "sauce aroma," a baijiu style known for its umami notes. After being distilled and aged in traditional clay pots, it's redistilled and matured in charred American oak barrels in Kentucky for the Dàn Yǎ expression. "I think, here in the United States, going through the flavor-balancing process and then marrying it with whiskey craftsmanship really brings a more familiar experience to a consumer," Hughes told Chowhound.

Unlike Dàn Yǎ, which retains a stronger baijiu essence with some herbal and earthy notes along with oak and vanilla, East + West Kentucky Blend goes through a further process to bring it closer to traditional American whiskey. The brand worked with the Whiskey House of Kentucky to produce a whiskey distillate from Kentucky-grown red sorghum that was then blended with the redistilled baijiu base that's been matured in American oak.

"We think both will appeal to American whiskey drinkers," Shaun Hughes said. "I'm finding that those that maybe have deeper palates usually embrace Dàn Yǎ first, just because it has such a bold character, but the East + West Blend was developed to be almost like a stair-step into baijiu for people."

With American cocktail trends inspired by Asian spirits, Shāng may be the perfect whiskey for the moment. Besides enjoying them neat or on the rocks, in cocktails, both expressions are more versatile than bourbon or rye, and like baijiu, shine in multiple cocktails. East + West is perfect in traditional whiskey-based cocktails like a Manhattan, and makes a great old fashioned, according to Hughes. But it is also fantastic in a highball with Fever Tree Lime and Yuzu tonic, a Negroni variation, or a sour. Its website features cocktails as varied as a Paloma spritz, an espresso martini, and an apple-based cocktail called a Cantonese cider. Currently, Shāng's products are available for purchase on its website, and are slowly being rolled out via distributors into various U.S. states. If you're looking to go beyond ordinary American whiskey, this may be the way.