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貴州茅台酒なぜ値段高い?本物偽物の見分け方・マオタイ酒の種類と買取価格

Why is Kweichow Moutai so expensive? How to tell the real thing from the fake, types of Moutai and their purchase prices

Linkus Liquor
Moutai is a type of Chinese alcoholic beverage, and is so well-known in mainland China that it is called the "national liquor." It is also popular worldwide, and has established itself as a luxury drink in Japan. In recent years, it has also become famous as a drink that fetches high prices at auctions and on the buyback market, and has been attracting increasing attention from not only alcohol fans but also investors and collectors.
This article summarizes all about Moutai liquor. It also explains the differences in value based on the labels and how to tell them apart, so if you're interested in Moutai liquor, or if you own one and want to know its value, be sure to read this article. Click here to purchase Kweichow Moutai liquor

About the Chinese luxury liquor "Moutai"

What is Moutai Liquor?

What is Moutai Liquor?
Maotai is a type of alcohol made in China. It is often treated as a luxury item among the many Chinese alcoholic beverages, and its name is well known in Japan as well. Maotai is made in Maotai Town, Renhuai City, northwest of Guizhou Province, China, and has a history that stretches back 800 years .
Boasting a long history and tradition, Moutai is considered one of the three major distilled spirits in the world , alongside the Scottish whiskey "Scotch" and the French brandy "Cognac." Its high value makes it the drink of choice for special ceremonies and diplomatic occasions.

It is a distilled alcoholic drink known as baijiu.

Maotai is a type of "baijiu" made in China. Baijiu is a distilled alcoholic drink made from grains such as sorghum, corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, and is characterized by its rich aroma. Among baijiu, Maotai is characterized by the large amount of grains used as ingredients, and the ingredients used are also carefully selected .
In the manufacturing process, Maotai liquor is fermented for a long time. It is also aged for a long period of three years , which gives it a deep and delicate flavor . In addition, the water used is from the Chishui River, which is said to be of high quality. Distilled using water with low hardness, it has a subtle and elegant sweetness.

Characteristics of Maotai! How much alcohol does it contain?

Moutai liquor is made by carefully distilling a variety of ingredients, and is characterized by its transparent color with a slight yellow tint. Many of them have an alcohol content of over 50% , making them extremely powerful. Although it is powerful, it is not a rough strength, but rather has a dignified flavor that is suitable for special occasions.
While most baijiu are generally high in alcohol and quite strong, Maotai's alcohol content is not extremely high for a baijiu, and it has a mellow taste due to aging, making it easy to drink .

How do you drink Moutai? It's strong, but you should drink it straight.

The alcohol content of Moutai is higher than that of whiskey or shochu, making it quite impactful. However, in China, it is considered basic to drink it straight . If you want to try it the authentic way to drink it, you should definitely drink it straight. It's best to enjoy it as it is, without chilling or warming it in any strange way.
Drinking Maotai straight is very fragrant. We recommend that you first take your time to savor the aroma, then gulp it down. As the alcohol content is high, it is best to choose a small glass .
If you find the alcohol in Moutai too much for you, you can also drink it on the rocks with ice. Try it out and find the balance that suits you best, being careful not to drink too much.

Why is Moutai so expensive? Focus on its rarity and award history

Among the Maotai liquors, the one that is considered to be a high-end product is "Kuizhou Moutai Liquor." Guizhou is the name of the Guizhou province in China, and is also the general name of the manufacturer. "Kuizhou Moutai Liquor" is a traditional product produced in a limited area of ​​Guizhou province in China .
Kweichow Moutai liquor is now highly valued. There are even bottles that cost over 100,000 to 1,000,000 yen each . Kweichow Moutai liquor is also famous for being a rare liquor that is hard to obtain, and is currently the subject of high-value transactions on the market.
The biggest reason why Moutai is so highly valued is because it is so labor-intensive to produce . Because it takes time to distill and age, it takes more than five years from production to shipping. It requires a lot of ingredients, which increases the price of each bottle.
Furthermore, there are rare bottles of Moutai liquor. Among the lineup of Moutai liquor, there are bottles that were produced in small numbers and bottles that have already been discontinued , and the market value of these rare bottles is increasing day by day. Of course, there are many lovers of Moutai as a drink, but there are also an increasing number of people who buy Moutai liquor for collection purposes, for resale, and as an asset. This situation is the factor that is driving up the price of Moutai liquor.
Moutai also won a gold medal at the San Francisco World's Fair in 1915. Sales to the world began in the 1950s, and it is now known worldwide. Another reason for the rise in value and price of Moutai is that buyers are not only from within China but all over the world. Given these circumstances, it is expected that the value of Moutai will continue to increase in the future.

Be careful, there are many fakes of Moutai

As mentioned earlier, the only liquor that is truly valuable as Moutai is the one made in Guizhou Province, China, called Kweichow Moutai. However, in recent years, counterfeit products claiming to be Kweichow Moutai have become rampant, so you need to be careful .
Just as there are counterfeits of branded goods in circulation, unfortunately there are also counterfeits of Moutai. The reality is that counterfeits that are in circulation are designed to resemble Moutai but have a different appearance, and of course the quality of the contents is low.
Selling counterfeit goods is, of course, a crime. In China, counterfeit Moutai liquor is subject to crackdowns , and enforcement is stepped up periodically. However, counterfeit Moutai liquor still circulates in the market. Drinkers and buyers should be careful not to get caught with a counterfeit. Check to see if there are any rough marks on the label that make it look like a copy, or if the design is different in the first place . There are also some very malicious methods of filling genuine bottles with counterfeit liquor, so it's important to check the cap for signs of opening.
If you want to try Moutai, make sure to buy or order it from a trusted store. Be careful, as it can be especially difficult to spot counterfeits on online stores. Moutai comes in multiple labels, so remembering the characteristics of each will reduce the risk of being sold a fake.

Types of Maotai liquor and how to tell them apart! How much do they cost to buy?

From here, we will explain the different types of Moutai liquor and how to tell them apart. Please use this as a reference when learning about the characteristics of genuine Moutai liquor. Even if Moutai liquor is a genuine product, its market value varies depending on the label. We will also explain the price, so please use this as a reference.

<Kuizhou Moutai Sunflower>

  • Purchase price: Approximately 500,000 to 1,000,000 yen
  • Characteristics: 55% alcohol content, rich taste, most bottles are rare and high-end
Kweichow Moutai Sunflower is easily recognizable by the sunflower mark on the top left of the label . This bottle was produced earlier than the current Moutai product and is no longer on sale . It is one of the rare bottles that is hard to come by even in China, where it originated, and its market value is increasing day by day. If you try to get your hands on one in Japan, it is not uncommon for a single bottle to go for over 1 million yen. Even if you try to sell it, some bottles can go for over 500,000 yen. It is a special liquor with a high alcohol content of 55% and a rich, powerful aroma.

<Kuizhou Moutai Liquor Tennyo Label>

  • Purchase price: Approximately 200,000 to 500,000 yen
  • Characteristics: There are bottles from various eras, and the older bottles are more valuable.
There are many different types of Maotai liquor with the Tennyo label, from old to new . They are all still Maotai liquor, but the old bottles are called old bottles, and because they are hard to obtain, they have a high market value. Old label Tennyo bottles can be traded for 300,000 to 900,000 yen, and can sell for more than you can imagine, so it's a must-see.
In recent years, bottles often have the year written on the cap film. If you have an old-looking bottle of Maotai liquor without the year written on the film, we recommend that you have a professional appraiser evaluate the price .

<Kweichow Moutai Five Star>

  • Purchase price: Approximately 100,000 to 300,000 yen
  • Features: Most of the bottles are eligible for high prices due to their unique designs that are not available in current products
Like Sunflower, the five-star Moutai liquor is a rare product with a design that is not available in current products . The five-star mark is said to be a popular design in the 1980s, so there is a high possibility that the bottle is 30 years old and you can expect a high purchase price. There are also bottles that were released after 2000.
Naturally, it is difficult to obtain, and therefore commands a high price.

<Kuizhou Moutai Gold Label>

  • Purchase price: Approximately 150,000 yen
  • Characteristics: The gold label gives it a luxurious feel. There are current versions available, but the old bottles are much more valuable.
As the name suggests, the gold label of Moutai liquor is easy to recognize. There are few bottles on the market, so the value is generally high. The design varies depending on the era, and the older the bottle, the higher the value .
An old gold label bottle can be worth 100,000 to 150,000 yen.

<Kweichow Moutai 15 Years>

  • Purchase price: Approximately 100,000 yen
  • Features: A special Maotai liquor aged for 15 years, with luxurious packaging and accessories
There is also a 15-year-old bottle of Moutai liquor. Since regular Moutai liquor is aged for more than three years, you can see how special this product is by comparing it. The box and accessories of the 15-year-old Moutai liquor are also special specifications , making it suitable for a special gift.
Due to the long aging period, the number of bottles produced is small, making it highly valuable. Older products are often priced at over 100,000 yen.

For rare Maotai liquor, ask a specialist liquor store to appraise it.

For rare Maotai liquor, ask a specialist liquor store to appraise it.
As we have explained so far, Moutai is a very rare liquor, and it is expected to sell for a high price. It is not uncommon for a single bottle of Moutai to be worth hundreds of thousands of yen, especially if it is an old bottle. There are even bottles that cost over 1 million yen. In fact, there are bottles of Moutai that have been sold at auction for over 100 million yen.
If you have Maotai but don't plan on drinking it, why not apply for an appraisal from a specialist buying store ? With an appraisal, you can find out the value of your Maotai, and if you're happy with the price, you can sell it on the spot and convert it into cash.
The value of Maotai liquor varies greatly depending on the bottle, so if you want to trade safely and securely, we recommend using a specialized buying store rather than sites like Mercari or Yahoo! Auctions. A specialized buying store with professional appraisers who are knowledgeable about alcohol can prevent problems such as counterfeit sales and price mistakes.
Linksus, a liquor buying specialty store, is currently strengthening the buying of Moutai liquor . We can handle the buying and appraisal of various bottles such as Moutai liquor such as the "Sunflower Bottle" and "Tennyo Label" introduced here, as well as "Kuizhou Moutai 50 Year Old" and "Kuizhou Moutai 30 Year Old", so please contact us first. The buying and appraisal of Moutai liquor is available at no cost to the customer, and we can handle in- store buying, on-site buying , and mail-order buying .

Tips for getting a high price for your Moutai liquor

  • Determining the age from labels and markings
  • Keep the bottle as clean as possible
  • Please bring all accessories such as boxes for appraisal.
  • Possibility of increasing the appraisal value by selling in bulk
When selling Maotai liquor, it is easy to understand the market price if you guess the age from the label and markings. Of course, professional appraisers at specialty purchase stores will properly determine the type and condition of the liquor, but it is recommended that you communicate the characteristics of the liquor beforehand during the appraisal over LINE or phone to make the transaction smoother . Also, when bringing it in for an appraisal, make sure to remove any dust that may be adhering to it and prepare the box that it came in to make sure it looks in good condition.
If you have multiple liquors you want to sell, it is easier to get a higher appraisal value if you have them appraised all at once. It is also possible to sell them in combination with other liquors besides Moutai, so if you have a liquor collection, be sure to organize them and think about which liquors to have appraised.
Click here to purchase Kweichow Moutai liquor

summary

Among Kweichow Moutai liquor, there are bottles that are worth tens of thousands to over 1 million yen per bottle. In particular, old bottles and old Moutai liquor are often priced at high prices and are gaining more and more attention. Of course, you should pay attention not only to the price but also to the high quality of the taste.
Maotai is packed with a uniquely Chinese charm that wine, whiskey, and sake do not have. It is a rare drink that is hard to find, but if you have the chance, why not give it a try?
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