Recipes can be treasured possessions, passed down through generations to create tasty food and drink for people to enjoy, and China’s Anhui Gujing Distillery Company Limited has really taken that to heart, still using a recipe that is a staggering 1,822 years old to achieve the record for the Oldest documented spirit recipe.
Called the "Jiuyun Chinese spirits distillation method", and known as the Jiu Yun Chun Fa in Chinese, its still used today, having first been used to distill spirits in the year 196 AD.
The recipe is included in Jia Sixie's ancient book, Arts of the People, and is the oldest liquor-making method recorded anywhere in the world.
The certificate was presented at the Autumn Brewing Ceremony of Gujinggong Liquor, an annual ceremony that pays homage to creator of the recipe and famous general Cao Cao.
The recipe produces a high-end ‘wine’ called Autumn Brewing Head Wine (also known as Jiu Yun Chun Jiu) which is produced by Gujing Gong Wine. According to local traditions, the autumn brew conforms to the wisdom of spring life, summer growth, autumn harvest, and winter storage.
Wine producers use the summer climate and a unique technique known as ‘pressing the pool’ to prolong the fermentation period.
Blythe Fitzwiliam, Vice President of global business at Guinness World Records, presented the certificate at the Autumn Brewing opening ceremony.
"The certification of this record has been a long process of research and in-depth communication with our record management department, liquor experts and historical experts, and the achievement of this record is another significant achievement in Chinese wine culture," he said.
