From the Covid-19 era to 2025, global whisky trade volume rose just 4.13 per cent, yet value surged by 15.47 per cent — a clear sign of the “drink less, but better” movement. Single malts outpaced blends, and premiumisation continued to drive growth even as overall consumption levelled off. This evolution was most prominent in the Asia-Pacific, with China drawing particular attention. Chinese consumers have grown more selective, favouring value and individuality over brand legacy. The notable decline in Japanese and Scotch single malt whisky sales in 2024 reflects a shifting trend landscape, shaped by a highly trend-sensitive market.
At the heart of this momentum lies a generational shift: nearly half of China’s whisky consumers are Gen Z — young, inquisitive, and eager to explore new flavour frontiers. “To introduce the public to new and original whisky styles — ones that could potentially carve out an entirely new category — why not a Chinese whisky,” says Ryan Camus, sixth-generation member of the Camus Cognac family. Born into the largest family-owned Cognac house founded in 1863, Ryan now serves as general director of Guqi Whisky in China, following in the footsteps of his father, Cyril Camus. With more than three decades of presence in China and two decades of collaboration with Kweichow Moutai, the Camus family’s ties to baijiu run deep. That journey led to the next frontier of flavour: not Cognac or baijiu alone — but whisky. With an investment reaching nearly £25 million, Guqi Whisky broke ground on 21th November 2023 and completed its first distillation on 8th December the following year.
Why whisky? Because grain-based fermentation is already embedded in the DNA of Chinese spirits like baijiu. And unlike Cognac, governed by tightly defined regulations, whisky offers rare creative freedom — precisely what makes a bold project like Guqi possible. “To achieve the most intense aromatic expression,” Cyril explains, “we looked beyond Cognac and turned to baijiu, whose solid-state fermentation creates extraordinary richness.” Gujinggong, China’s fourth-largest baijiu producer, offered that very mastery. Located in Bozhou — the historic cradle of traditional Chinese medicine — Gujing’s herbal extract and long fermentation expertise made it a natural partner. “They brought solid fermentation and herbaceous complexity; we brought distillation and cask ageing,” Ryan adds. The goal was never to mimic Scotch or Japanese whisky, but to co-create something resolutely Chinese — a whisky that bridges cultures through aroma. “This collaboration is a fusion of Chinese and French cultural identities,” says Liang Jinhui, president of Gujing Group, who helped formalise a sister-city relationship between Bozhou and Cognac, established 10 years ago.
To realise this cross-cultural vision, Guqi’s bicultural team begins with a triple-step mashing process, gradually raising the saccharification temperature to coax out layers of complexity. This is followed by a 168-hour fermentation — currently liquid-based, but designed with solid-state fermentation in mind.
Leading technical operations is Yonael Bernard, Guqi’s cellar master who previously worked at Camus, alongside Cao Runjie, a fermentation researcher affiliated with the Anhui Provincial Center for Solid-State Fermentation Engineering and Gujing’s own innovation subsidiary. She is leading a series of trials to select yeast strains from Daqu, the traditional Chinese fermentation and saccharification starter. Step by step, Guqi is preparing to incorporate solid-state fermentation into its process.
“I’ve witnessed the mystery of this Chinese method for years,” Ryan explains. “It unfolds in underground pits, carved directly into the earth. In Bozhou, we benefit not only from a terroir ideally suited to this technique, but also from naturally alkaline water, historically prized for producing exceptional spirits. Our aim is to create a distinctive whisky that honours both Cognac technical rigour and Chinese artisanal heritage.” While China today excels in productivity, the DNA of its spirits remains deeply manual. This is the foundation Guqi builds upon — a convergence of artisanal tradition and scientific precision. Runjie, immersed in decoding the microbial origins and aromatic potential of Daqu, contributes with both passion and rigour to this shared ambition.
Distillation at Guqi is where artistry meets precision — a philosophy distinctly inspired by Camus Cognac, yet reimagined for whisky. Two pairs of copper stills shape the spirit’s identity: one set for single malt, with a 10,000-litre wash still and 5,000-litre spirit still; another for the herbal whisky, comprising a 2,500-litre wash still and 1,500-litre spirit still. The single malt stills, shaped like traditional gourds in homage to the legendary physician Hua Tuo, take cues from the alembic Charentais — a design that plays a critical role in refining aroma.
What sets Guqi apart is the manual cut applied from the very first distillation — a rare practice in whisky making. The initial run is divided into three cuts: heads, hearts, and tails. In the second distillation, the process becomes even more precise, yielding four cuts — including the “secondes”, a Cognac-specific intermediate fraction — each treated with meticulous care. A signature Camus method is always applied: the best portions of the heads are meticulously selected or reintegrated into the heart cut, enriching the final aromatic profile.
“I see my work much like a conductor arranging a symphony,” Yonael says, gesturing with his hands like a maestro. “I do not force aromas to coexist — I choose the right instruments, let violins meet pianos or let the oboes warm up together. Slowly, I let them play, from the practice room to the concert hall. True harmony in whisky, as in music, is never instant. It is rehearsed, refined — and when the time is right, the melodies begin to flow.”
Among the many molecules and litres of heads yielded during distillation, Yonael crafts two distinct styles of distillate: light and rich. One is lighter and more accessible, focusing on aromatic compounds that emerge later in the distillation — elegant, delicate, and ready to be appreciated sooner. The other is richer and more complex, from a redistillation of selected heads and secondes. It delivers a denser concentration of aroma, but requires more time to evolve. To borrow a metaphor from music, it’s the difference between a piano-violin duet and a full symphony orchestra. The former offers immediate harmony; the latter takes time, but rewards with depth.
Guqi’s Single Malt — a blend of light and rich distillates — is set for international release in 2027. It matures in four cask types: Camus Cognac XO, Mongolian oak from Wolin, bourbon, and wine casks. “We don’t touch STR,” says Runjie. The Herbal Whisky, tailored for the Chinese market, launches in 2026. One method channels vapours through herbs like gin; the other — still under wraps — seeks to retain the “single malt” label. For early Chinese supporters, 100 single casks went on private sale in June at €15,000 each, including 10 years of ageing and personalised services. The offer taps into China’s rising trend of collective barrel purchasing. A visitor centre opens this September, featuring a 30-metre-high tower dedicated to customised blending and packaging experiences, inspired by the Atelier model at Camus Cognac.
A new national standard for Chinese whisky has just come into force. Its definition of single malt closely mirrors that of the European Union — malted barley only, distilled in pot stills, and aged at least three years. This alignment gives Chinese single malts the potential to be internationally recognised. Notably, however, the regulation does not specify the origin of raw materials, a subject still debated in countries like Japan. To ensure quality from the outset, Guqi currently uses 100 per cent imported malted barley. While domestic barley cultivation is under development in China, the results so far fall short of the project’s standards. “Fortunately, whisky’s regulatory openness allows for nuance: Chinese whisky can still be defined by where it is distilled and aged — even if the grain itself is not locally sourced,” Ryan explains.
Of course, forging a Chinese whisky through Franco-Chinese collaboration is not without challenges. “It’s not easy,” admits one team member. “We’re educating and co-building with a state-owned group that had never handled whisky before — not to mention the language barriers.” Yet it is precisely this friction that sparks originality. Trying to define Chinese whisky alone might be like playing with fire. But when East and West strike flint together, the spark may just ignite a bullet aimed straight at the global whisky map.
