E 25
Fa Tsau.—Spirits sometimes called by this name are distilled in a few distilleries which are ultimately denatured for special industrial purposes e.g. in the Vinegar, Bean Curd and Tobacco Industries. One method employed is to redistil Molasses Sam Ching to produce a spirit containing about 45% of alcohol. In another distillery a special mash is prepared from wheat bran and molasses and the spirit distilled therefrom is called "Rum". It has been found however that it is extremely wasteful to attempt to distil spirit of this (i.e. 40% to 45%) strength from a Chinese Still owing to the fact that there is a large loss of alcohol from various causes. Chinese Liquor Merchants have recently expressed the opinion that the term "Fa Tsau" is only used locally, and denotes strictly a mixture of Commercial Arrack and Water and not a spirit produced in a local distillery.
Fancy Spirits.—A few distilleries prepare various fancy spirits on a small scale. In actual practice these are made by macerating fresh and dried fruits or herbs in Sheung Ching. This business appears to be on the decline as far as distilleries are concerned, and the explanation appears to be that they lack the capital and space necessary to store spirit for the long period required to complete the process.
No Mai. This is a sweet type of Rice Spirit and its manufacture is now almost entirely confined to retail spirit shops. The actual process involved varies to some extent but essentially ordinary Sheung Ching is poured on glutenous rice which has been previously boiled, then mixed with yeast and left exposed for an hour or so before sealing up in jars or Kongs. After the addition of the Sheung Ching a small proportion of Molasses is sometimes added and the mixture, after sealing up, is left to stand for some months.
Finally to sum up, only two kinds of spirit are manufactured locally—rice spirit and molasses spirit. These are used as the basis of all other locally made Chinese Spirits. Whether the strength of the spirit as issued from the distillery is high or low really depends upon the customer and the strength he demands.
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