Kweichow Moutai Co. Ltd. (), commonly referred to as Kweichow Moutai (), is a Chinese company specializing in the production, sale, and distribution of Maotai liquor, a particular style of jiangxiang () baijiu.
The company was established 1951, and is a recognized brand of baijiu both within China and abroad. The spirit is often presented at large diplomatic events with foreign dignitaries such as the dinner for US President Nixon's 1972 visit to China, as well as Xi Jinping's and Barack Obama's 2013 bilateral meeting in California. At a state dinner with Deng Xiaoping, US diplomat Henry Kissinger was quoted as saying, "I think if we drink enough Moutai, we can solve anything.âÂÂ
Sitting at 181 on Fortune 500 China, the distillery is the largest non-technology company in China and one of the most valuable spirits brand worldwide.
The spirit itself has history dating back for centuries. In Maotai, Guizhou, there were three private distilleries (Chengyi, Ronghe, and Hengxing) which the Chinese government merged in 1951 to create a state-owned enterprise called Kweichow Moutai. The company was later incorporated as the Moutai Group in 1998 and listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2001.
Camus became the worldwide distributor in 2004.
The key trends for Kweichow Moutai are (as of the financial year ending 31 December):