Draft:Yanghe

Jiangsu Yanghe Distillery Co. Ltd., simply known as Yanghe is a baijiu distillery headquartered in Suqian, Jiangsu, China that is primarily engaged in the production  and sale of nongxiang baijiu. As of 2023 Yanghe is the fifth most valuable spirits brand in the world.

History
Production of alcohol in the Jiangsu region began centuries ago during the Han dynasty and developed over the generations with many advancements and refinements in the process beginning in the Tang dynasty and continuing through to the end of the Qing dynasty. During the Ming dynasty a poet, Zou Ji, wrote of the region and it's spirits in his 'Ode to the Baiyang River'; "Many people pass through each year, but Yanghe liquor is what keeps them here."

The distillery which now produces Yanghe Baijiu, Jiangsu Yanghe, was founded in 1949 prior to the end of the Chinese Civil War and amidst the then new policy state monopolization of liquor production from the then People's Republic of China. The distillery was founded on the foundation of several previously extant private distilleries and the preserved legacy of the nongxiang baijiu produced in Yanghe.

In the decades since it's founding in modern China, Yanghe remained a generally well known spirit and was recognized as such within several baijiu fairs and competitions through the 1970's. However, beginning in the late 1990's market reforms in China which allowed for new tactics in marketing, Yanghe fell behind it's peers in the nongxiang baijiu market; particularly Wuliangye and Luzhou Laojiao who began marketing many of their products as luxury items to a newly emerging middle class. Following a corporate restructuring in 2002 and the launch of and the launch of their "Blue" series of baijiu in 2003, the distillery has seen massive success, skyrocketing their market position to presently being among the most valuable brands of not just baijiu, but of all spirits generally. As market positioning changes amidst the anti-corruption campaign affecting luxury baijiu brands, Yanghe has recently sought to expand internationally and has recently collaborated with spirits conglomerate Diageo in the production of a Chinese Whiskey looking to blend the techniques of scotch whisky and Chinese baijiu production. Currently Yanghe sits at #430 on the Chinese Fortune 500.