With growing middle-income earners and their increasingly discerning tastes, China's rising consumption of spirits like cognac and whiskey will push multinational corporations like Remy Cointreau to invest more in this market to meet local demand, said Sophie Phe, CEO of Remy Cointreau China.

Remy Cointreau中国首席执行官Sophie Phe表示，随着中等收入者的不断增长和他们越来越挑剔的口味，中国对干邑和威士忌等烈酒的消费不断增加，将推动Remy Coinreau等跨国公司在该市场进行更多投资，以满足当地需求。

China has further expanded its consumption of spirits like whiskey and cognac, fueled by growing demand from a younger generation along with female consumers and from more home-based consumption scenarios, said French spirits group Remy Cointreau.

法国烈酒集团Remy Cointreau表示，受年轻一代和女性消费者日益增长的需求以及更多家庭消费场景的推动，中国进一步扩大了威士忌和干邑等烈酒的消费。

Single malt whiskey has attracted the attention of more female consumers than before, who have also shown a higher-quality demand for cocktails.

单一麦芽威士忌比以前吸引了更多女性消费者的注意，她们对鸡尾酒的质量也表现出了更高的需求。

According to market research company Euromonitor International, by 2025, whiskey sales in China are expected to achieve $2.25 billion.

根据市场研究公司欧睿国际的数据，到2025年，威士忌在中国的销售额预计将达到22.5亿美元。

For those who prefer to drink spirits, they can grab a glass at a whiskey bar in the garden.

对于那些喜欢喝烈酒的人，他们可以在花园里的威士忌酒吧喝一杯。

The liquor retailer, with its portfolio of products including cognac, whiskey and champagne, said it would invest more in e-commerce businesses in China.

According to a report from Daxue Consulting, apart from baijiu－a potent clear liquor that still dominates the Chinese spirits market－Western spirits like whiskey and brandy enjoy increasing influence on Chinese consumers' alcohol choices.

China is a huge market with tremendous potential opportunities and the second China International Import Expo provides a wonderful chance to tap the market, Halli Thorkelsson, CEO of Eimverk Distillery, an Icelandic whiskey manufacturer, said.

China's high-quality development provides a good opportunity to introduce high-end whiskey products to Chinese customers, he said.

A conversation with Dan Naes, director of operations at Brown-Forman Distillery, parent of Jack Daniel's, and a visit of Buffalo Trace, the oldest continuously-operating distillery in the United States, have acquainted the Chinese group with Kentucky's famed bourbon whiskey industry.

A Hurun Report on whiskey consumption in China published in 2018 showed whiskey enjoyed a consecutive growth of more than 20 percent in "consumer preference" in 2016 and 2017.

Xu expected the ingenious marketing of combining whiskey drinking and horse racing, as seen in the already 20-year-long sponsorship of the Kentucky Derby by Brown-Forman's Woodford Reserve brand, will also work well among the middle-income population of Yunnan, and that of the whole China.

Wang Jiabao, commercial counselor of the Chinese embassy in Ireland, said that Irish products such as beef, whiskey and dairy products, as well as services related to tourism, finance and information technology, have been well-received at the expo since the inaugural edition.

Nine Rivers, a liquor producer, decided to expand its China business as it started to build a single malt whiskey distillery in Longyan, Fujian province, in February.

Visitor can taste Irish liqueur and whiskey for free, enjoy discounted cashmere scarf from Pakistan, buy gemmy stamps from Liechtenstein and handicrafts from Malaysia.

Diageo, a British spirits distiller that offers products such as Scotch whisky, gin and beer, will start to build its $75 million malt whiskey distillery in Eryuan county, Southwest China's Yunnan province, this year.

"There is a growing appreciation for whiskey among Chinese consumers.

We have seen this in action through the emergence of whiskey bars and boutiques across China, growing popularity of whiskey auctions and the successes of our own whiskey summit and similar events," said Sam Fischer, president for Asia-Pacific and global business at Diageo.

"We will continue to focus on premium whiskey as part of our core business, and we will also add a world-class China-origin whiskey to this portfolio.

We have observed that Chinese consumers are evolving to appreciate whiskey for its heritage and craft, rather than drinking it for status," Fischer said.

The EU list of GIs to be protected in China includes products such as Cava, Champagne, Feta, Irish Whiskey, Munchener Bier, Ouzo, Polska Wodka, Porto, Prosciutto di Parma and Queso Manchego.

According to Weng, an Ireland Pavilion will be set up at the Hainan Expo to display a variety of Irish products to Chinese consumers, ranging for world-known Irish Whiskey, infant formula milk powders to high-quality agri-food and tourism products.

Jiangxiaobai, benchmarked against major international spirits including whiskey, vodka and brandy, clocks in at 40 percent alcohol by volume — significantly lower than traditional bottles' dizzying ABV of 52 percent.

For instance, the Irish Pavilion put on display a wide range of commercial, educational, cultural and tourism exhibits, including whiskey and dairy products.

Growing income, changing tastes, higher-level opening-up in China boost global retailers' confidence and investmentsA niche has developed for imported spirits like whiskey and cognac among young Chinese consumers, fueled by a growing high-income population and their increasingly discerning tastes.

This year, whiskey sales in China are expected to hit about 19.13 billion yuan ($3.01 billion), and whiskey sales volume is predicted to reach 23.65 billion liters, according to market research company Euromonitor International.

The list of EU products for the Chinese market includes champagne, feta cheese, Irish whiskey and Parma ham.

Whiskey maker Beam Suntory, for example, saw its sales jump by nearly 50 percent year-on-year during the just-ended Double 11 shopping spree.

A report by Tencent last year found that consumers aged between 18 and 24 increasingly prefer spirits and whiskey.

"Local customers lack full knowledge of the brand categories of whiskey, brandy, and vodka, but have partial recognition of specific brands (such as Louis XIII, Martell, and Jack Daniels)," said RIES China Senior Consultant Xiao Yao in offering advice to international spirits companies.

"Foreign liquor makers should prioritize category promotion rather than brand promotion so that they can 'implant' whiskey, brandy, and other similar brand categories in the minds of consumers," Xiao said.

China's whiskey market, which is worth roughly 3.65 billion yuan in 2019, has exhibited a relatively stable outlook.

"For example, Chinese people imbibe liquor to inspire their ideas for literary works and artistic creativity, boost their friendship and love, which is different from Western liquor concepts for alcoholic beverages like whiskey and their bar culture.

"But it is relaxing to take a sip of wine or whiskey before going to bed at times, and my wife appreciates various kinds of cocktails and fruit wines.

Demand from the increasingly urbanized and high-income population, evolving tastes and consumption upgrade is boosting spending on whiskey among young Chinese consumers.

Buoyed by the growth, several high-end foreign whiskey retailers are putting more efforts to promote online shopping and sales at restaurants and bars, they said.

Single malt whiskey, made from malted barley and distilled for more than three years from a single distillery, saw the fastest growth in the whiskey segment.

The category, which is characterized by distinguished original flavors of different whiskey producing areas, usually comes with expensive price tags.

Total sales of single malt whiskey in China was valued at 45.1 million pounds ($57.9 million) by the end of June last year, up 36 percent year-on-year from 2016, according to data from London-based Diageo Plc.

"Whiskey is becoming increasingly popular in the China market.

"Now, the leaders in the China market are Japanese whiskey and then Scotch and to a lesser extent Irish whiskey.

American whiskey has several industry leaders that have done very well in the Chinese mainland, such as Jack Daniels," he said.

In 2017, total value of whiskey sales in China was 12.97 billion yuan ($1.89 billion), up 5.6 percent year-on-year.

The total volume of whiskey sold during the period was 16.56 billion liters, up 6.9 percent year-on-year, according to Euromonitor.

By 2022, whiskey sales in China are expected to be about 19.13 billion yuan, up 38.6 percent from the expected levels this year.

Besides, whiskey volumes are foreseen to reach 23.65 billion liters in 2022, expanding 32 percent from this year, Euromonitor said.