Book excerpt: Drawing on interviews with baijiu aficionados, distillers and key players in the alcoholic beverage industry, Sandhaus introduces the history and development of alcohol in China - the birthplace of grain-based alcohol. Distillation and production processes, the landscape of the industry today, and a page-by-page guide to the major varieties, distilleries and brands all feature in Baijiu- The Essential Guide to Chinese Spirits.