The qū starter culture used in the production of baijiu is usually made from pulverized wheat grain or steamed rice.

[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Because of its clarity, baijiu can appear similar to several other East Asian liquors, e.g. Japanese shōchū (25%) or Korean soju (20–45%), but it often has a significantly higher alcohol content (35–60%).

No exact dates are known for the invention of the modern form of baijiu as it emerged gradually with the historical development of distillery technology.

[12][13] In response to one 2015 article in The New York Times, third-party commenters compared baijiu's aroma and taste profile to "jet fuel, kerosene, poison, nail polish remover, drain cleaner, Burgundy cheeses, and salty garbage water", and the tenor of these remarks was "representative of most English-language writing about baijiu at the time".

[12] The Chinese traditionally serve baijiu neat at room temperature,[15] in small cups or glasses, though drinkware varies by region.

Therefore, when negotiating a business partnership, there is a tradition of serving high-degree Baijiu on the dinner table, in order to judge one's trustworthiness.

There are also folk beliefs, especially in rural China, that consuming alcohol excessively equates to manliness and that one should not reject a serving offered by an elderly or higher-up.

[24] In 2013 and 2014 an American company, Byejoe, based out of Houston, Texas won a number of awards for their Baijiu product.

[10] The practice of infusing alcohol with herbs, spices, fruits and other ingredients has its roots in traditional Chinese medicine, but is also done purely for flavor.

[11] Baijiu has a distinctive smell and taste that is highly valued in Chinese culinary culture, and connoisseurs focus especially on its fragrance.

This classification system began in 1952 and was updated in August 1979 at the third nationwide baijiu competition held in Dalian.

[10] The practice of infusing alcohol with herbs, spices, fruits and other ingredients has its roots in traditional Chinese medicine and herbology, but is also done purely for flavor.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of relatively well-known Baijiu brands, grouped by place of origin, in descending order of popularity (semi-arbitrary and subjective).

Guizhou: Sichuan: Beijing: Hebei: Hunan: Shanxi: Shaanxi: Anhui: Jiangxi: Jiangsu: Guangdong: