Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 107 5 Grain Liquor

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Liu Ye was unaware of the county magistrate's "incognito visit" to understand the people's conditions. After adopting Liang Xiaoming's suggestion, he began to prepare for building a distillery and brewing wine.

A month later, at the winery in Lingao.

"The wine is ready!" someone shouted, and a strong smell of wine filled the air. The smell was pungent and had no fragrance whatsoever, causing everyone to frown.

Upon seeing this, Master Tian explained, "The first batch of liquor is called 'pot head' or 'liquor head.' Once the second and third batches of liquor come out together, they are mixed together and then it can be sold."

Here's the key point: Liang Xiaoming gave the instruction: "Pour out the first and last pots, and only keep the second pot of wine in the middle!"

Master Tian was stunned. He had never heard of such a method for brewing wine, whether it was made from sorghum or rice and wheat. However, since the employer had said so, he had no choice but to do as he was told. He and Master Yuan immediately directed the first and last batches of wine to be carried out and poured away.

Without the pungent smell of the first batch of liquor, the second batch filled the distillery with a strong yet pleasant aroma. Everyone who smelled it wore an incredulous expression, even the apprentices operating the bellows slowed down.

Li Ergou closed his eyes, twitched his nose, and muttered, "It smells delicious, this must be good wine!"

Master Tian and Master Yuan were both stunned. It was clearly sorghum liquor, so why did it smell so good? Liang Xiaoming urged, "Don't just stand there, quickly bring out a few bowls for everyone to try."

The two quickly ladled out several bowls of wine from the steamer for everyone to taste.

Yan Guang tasted the wine according to his three-step theory of observing color, smelling aroma, and tasting, and praised it highly: "Clear and transparent, fragrant, and smooth on the palate, a fine wine!"

Li Ergou took a sip and tears streamed down his face. "This is even better than the wine I drank back then. It's all worth it to be able to drink such good wine in my life..."

Liu Ye is not a heavy drinker, but he drinks often. In later years, he usually drinks expensive and fine wines and has never been exposed to Erguotou, a more common wine. He took the bowl and tasted it. The taste was mellow and the alcohol content was high but not strong. Although it was not as fragrant and lingering as Moutai, it was superior in that it had a pure aroma and a strong aftertaste.

Finally, Liang Xiaoming asked, "What should this liquor be called? Should we still use the name 'Erguotou'?"

Liu Ye shook his head: "No. This name sounds too grassroots. We need to come up with a name that can fool people so that it can fetch a good price. Besides, the name Erguotou is easy to associate with other things. Maybe someone with ulterior motives will learn this trick."

"What should I call him?" Liu Ye pondered.

In a flash of inspiration, Liu Ye said, "I've got it! Let's call it Wuliangye!" Wuliangye became quite famous in later generations.

Yan Guang savored it carefully: "Our wine has a wonderful aroma, Wuliangye... Not bad, really not bad, a good name!"

In the eighth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, a new Liu's Winery opened in both Guangzhou and Hangzhou, selling a type of liquor called "Wuliangye," which was very expensive, costing two taels of silver for a small bottle. This greatly surprised people who were used to drinking jarred yellow wine. They had never heard of this liquor before, and it was so expensive. Could it be that the bottle contained some kind of celestial elixir?

Many onlookers gathered to watch the spectacle, with some betting that the winery wouldn't sell a single bottle of wine in a day. The winery owner and his staff, however, were unconcerned. They set out a dozen or so glasses of wine on the street and put up a sign that read "Free Tasting"—a suggestion naturally suggested by Liu Ye.

Some wine connoisseurs, seeing that it was really free to drink, went up and took a sip, and were immediately dumbfounded. Could there really be such delicious liquor? When they asked for another cup, they were refused. The waiter pointed to the bottom of the free tasting sign, and upon closer inspection, there was a line of small print: "One cup per person."

After tasting it, everyone was captivated by the wine. Unlike the yellow wine they were used to, this wine was much stronger and had a powerful aftertaste, yet it had none of the spiciness of earthenware. It was mellow and fragrant, and even those with low alcohol tolerance felt lightheaded after just one cup.

There's no shortage of wealthy people in Guangzhou and Hangzhou. Since it's truly a fine wine, people immediately bought it, with many buying several bottles at a time. The packaging is also truly remarkable, exquisitely beautiful; the gift box alone is worth a considerable amount of money. Even those who don't drink bought a few bottles to give as gifts.

This beautifully packaged, mellow, and fragrant "Wuliangye" quickly gained fame. Unlike the highly commercialized era of later times, where "good wine needs no bush," these days, goods generally didn't have advertising or elaborate packaging. Therefore, "Wuliangye," which emphasized packaging and marketing, rose to prominence overnight: wealthy families would stock up on several bottles, rarely drinking them themselves but using them to entertain friends; and when visiting each other, it was customary to bring a box as a gift. The price of two taels of silver did not dampen people's enthusiasm for buying, and the first batch of stock sold out completely.

Upon receiving feedback on the sales figures in Lingao, Liu Ye immediately recruited more staff and expanded production capacity. The second batch of goods quickly arrived in Guangzhou and Hangzhou. In the first month, over a thousand bottles were sold, and in the second month, two thousand bottles were sold. Liu Ye optimistically estimated that selling three to four thousand bottles per month would be no problem, resulting in a gross profit of seven to eight thousand taels of silver, which would greatly alleviate his financial pressure.

The liquor business in Guangzhou and Hangzhou is booming. Liu Ye's Nanyuan has also been furnished and cleaned, with daily necessities added, and he is ready to move in.

After choosing an auspicious day, Liu Ye and Tang Yu moved into the South Garden. Such a large garden was not enough for just two people, so Tang Yu also bought many maids and cooks, and the population of the South Garden quickly swelled to twenty or thirty people.

His move to his new home was a big event, and his subordinates all came to congratulate him. Liu Ye had Li Fu set up more than a dozen tables in the front yard of the South Garden to entertain them.

The entire system has been progressing smoothly recently, with a constant stream of good news: the escort fleet has no rivals in Qiongzhou, new warships are being launched continuously, and new sources of revenue have been opened up. Everyone is very happy, and their own "Wuliangye" liquor was prepared at the banquet. Everyone drank to their heart's content, and everyone became quite tipsy.

Liu Ye went to offer toasts in high spirits, getting himself half-drunk. When he reached Liang Xiaoming's table, he found that Liang Xiaoming was nowhere to be seen. After searching around, he found him under a tree in the distance, whispering to Liu Ru, the girl he was in love with. Soon after, the two sneaked into a room.

Liu Ye looked over there with a smile: "This guy has improved."

That night, Liu Ye got drunk and didn't know how he got back to his room. In his hazy state, he felt someone wiping his face with warm water and feeding him water.

He shook his head vigorously to clear his mind. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw a slender hand holding a bowl of soup to his lips. He moved his head, trying to find a comfortable position, but felt something soft yet springy against the back of his head.

"Don't move. Here, drink this hangover soup." A gentle voice rang out.

Isn't that Tang Yu? Liu Ye tilted his head back and indeed saw Tang Yu's beautiful face, a few blushes rising on his cheeks.

Seeing the shy Tang Yu, Liu Ye's eyes lit up. He leaned over, grabbed her, and held her in his arms...