Gweizhou Maotai

Maotai liquor produced in China's Guizhou Province is the most famous Chinese brand of alcohol in and out of China. Served at ceremonies, festivities, banquets and any excuse to celebrate, it is close to being the national drink of China in the way brandy is to the French and much of the West. The liquor is named after the village (Guizhou Zhen) where it originated and is produced by the Kweichou Moutai Company. The company has attempted to start distilleries in other parts of China, but each time has found that the resulting liquor is different and therefore unworthy of the prestigious Guizhou Maotai label. The secret may be something in the Chishui River, where all of the water used in making Maotai comes from. Maotai is distilled from fermented sorghum. The resulting liquor is aged for up to 80 years in underground vats before being bottled and sold. The older vintages (30, 50 and 80 years) are quite costly. Maotai's intensity is uniquely forceful and respected by all who try it. 

Here are two bottles in perfect shape. One is 30,  the other is 50 years old. They come complete with kind of a UV light, charger, box, and shopping bag. I found a box on line for sale for $250+ but haven't been able to price the two bottles by comparing them to others available on line because there aren't any. I'm left with the assurances of the man who gave them to me that the 30 year old bottle is worth US$10,000 and the 50-year old is worth twice that. Offers welcome.

The pictures that follow show the bags, the boxes, the bottles, their paraphenalia and a photo of the effect produced by shining the UV light on the logo: the image of the man who gave them to me emerges. It looks a bit like a purple Shroud of Turin.