The Taiwan Folklore Museum in Taichung yesterday launched a rare exhibition of more than 2,000 containers of locally produced alcoholic drinks, including the oldest liquor found in the country.
The Taiwan Exposition of Alcoholic Drinks, to be held in celebration of the traditional Double Ninth Festival on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, traces the history of Taiwanese wine, liquor and beer, museum director Chu Chieh-yang (朱界陽) said.
The exhibits include Pai Lu liquor produced in 1941 during the Japanese colonial era. It is the oldest Taiwanese alcoholic drink that local collectors have found, Chu said.
Also on display is a 1946 whiskey, the first alcoholic drink to be distilled by the Taiwan Provincial Monopoly Bureau.
The most expensive local alcoholic drink at the exhibition is a premium kaoliang liquor stored in a hand-painted porcelain jar, Chu said.
It was brewed at the Chiayi Distillery of the state-run Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp and is valued at NT$200,000 (US$6,180) per bottle, he said.
More than 70 people have lent their collections to the museum for the exhibition, which cover alcoholic drinks from the Japanese era to the period after Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) forces took over Taiwan and the period after the monopoly on liquor was lifted in 2001.
The exhibition will run through Jan. 9. It will also include workshops on investment in and collection of Taiwanese alcoholic beverages.
During the Double Ninth Festival, it is customary for people to hike up a mountain and drink wine or liquor. It is also an occasion for honoring the elderly.
Yesterday’s report on “Taiwan agrees to lift ban on US beef,” page 1, should read that the protocol includes easing restrictions on the import of beef offal, but the government has not yet set a timetable for when imports start. We regret the error.
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