The Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Board (
The flavor and alcoholic levels of the new product -- an essential additive in local cooking -- are exactly the same as rice wine contained in traditional glass bottles, board officials said yesterday.
Sales began yesterday with bottles selling for NT$21 per bottle.
With the passing of the Wine and Tobacco Tax Act (
Such worries have led to illegal hoarding of rice wine by merchants, resulting in a severe shortage of bottled rice wine on the market.
In an attempt to meet increasing demand from consumers, the TTWB has decided to market the merchandise in the new plastic bottle.
Earlier this year, rice wine made in Singapore was introduced in Taiwan to relieve growing demand.
However, Taiwanese consumers have not taken to the Singaporean rice wine, apparently due to its perceived inferior quality.
DPP legislator Li Chun-yi (
Li voiced his discontent over the serious shortage of rice wine packaged in glass bottles and said unlawful hoarding and poor management had led to a grave deficiency of glass bottles.
Director-general of the TTWB, Shih Yen-shiang (施顏祥), said it had been difficult to continue production due to the lack of glass bottles. According to Shih, more than 40 million bottles on the market cannot be traced.
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