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Alcoholic drinks from Guangxi

Mixiang (rice-aroma) baijiu米香型白酒

Rice-aroma baijiu is a clear spirit distilled from rice fermented with a rice-flour qu. The steamed rice first saccharifies as a solid for a day or two, then water is added and the mash ferments as a semi-liquid for about 8–15 days before it is distilled. It is known for a light, honey-like aroma.

Fully documentedAlcoholic drinks12 days – 20 days

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceA lab batch in a fermentation jar made to the general rice-aroma baijiu process (Wang et al. 2023). A second study used 0.4 % xiaoqu and the same 250 g rice to 300 mL water.
Steamed rice250 g[wang2023]
Jiuqu starter2 % or 1.2 % of the rice (w/w)Two commercial Guangdong starters were tested[wang2023]
Sterile water300 mLAdded after saccharification[wang2023]
Starterkoji/qu/mold-starter (jiuqu / xiaoqu, a starter made of rice flour and oil bran)

Total time across the recorded steps: 12 days – 20 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
shapes, not to countRhizopusSaccharomyces30 °C

What changes: Moulds and yeasts grow through balls of rice flour and bran

Step 1 of 5
Make the rice qu (jiuqu)
Time
2 days
Reported
Temperature
30 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Rhizopus
Saccharomyces
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Lactobacillus
Pediococcus

Rice flour and oil bran are mixed and kneaded into steamed-bun shapes. Output: dry rice qu.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Rhizopus, Saccharomycopsis and Saccharomyces grow through the rice flour

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Rice-aroma baijiu is a clear spirit distilled from rice fermented with a rice-flour qu. The steamed rice first saccharifies as a solid for a day or two, then water is added and the mash ferments as a semi-liquid for about 8–15 days before it is distilled. It is known for a light, honey-like aroma. Made in 5 steps over 12 days – 20 days. The longest step, add water and ferment as a semi-liquid, takes 8–15 days (Wang H. et al. 2023) and runs at 27–29 °C (Wang H. et al. 2023). Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomycopsis do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step8–15 daysReported[wang2023][liang2024][li2025]Add water and ferment as a semi-liquid
Temperature27–29 °CReported[wang2023]Add water and ferment as a semi-liquid

What makes this one different

Rice-aroma baijiu saccharifies the rice as a solid and then ferments it with added water as a semi-liquid, a combination that sets it apart from sauce-, light- and strong-aroma baijiu. Its fermentation is short, about 8–15 days, and it is started with a small rice-flour qu.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Guilin SanhuajiuSanhuajiu (三花酒) from Guilin, Guangxi, is the example Wikipedia gives of a rice-aroma baijiu.

Safety

This is a distilled spirit, so it is strong alcohol. Wang et al. (2023) write that rice-aroma baijiu holds more higher alcohols than the other main aroma types, and that excess higher alcohols cause headache and hangover. Li et al. (2025) write that appropriate acidity in the mash inhibits harmful bacteria and harmful substances.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

History
The sources we found do not record its history.
  1. [li2025] Li Q. et al. 2025, Metagenomics-based analysis of microbial community dynamics and flavor compound correlations during rice-flavor Baijiu brewing, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 13:1638716paper
  2. [wang2023] Wang H. et al. 2023, Characterization and correlation of microbiota and higher alcohols based on metagenomic and metabolite profiling during rice-flavor Baijiu fermentation, Foods 12(14):2720paper
  3. [liang2024] Liang J. et al. 2024, Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Cyberlindnera fabianii inoculation on rice-flavor Baijiu fermentation, Foods 13(19):3175paper
  4. [WP:Baijiu] Wikipedia, Baijiu (outline only)wiki