Thousands of tons of Moutai liquor to go on market

Kweichow Moutai Co Ltd, China's iconic high-end spirit maker, will put 7,400 metric tons of Moutai liquor on the market — around 16 million bottles — in September, according to a Moutai meeting held on Wednesday.

The move aims to satisfy the market's demands for Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, a peak season for spirit sales in the country.

The market demand of Moutai remains robust this year, reflected in the price — which has jumped from 1,900 to 2,000 yuan ($296.4 to $311.7) per bottle so far.

Li Baofang, chairman of Moutai, said at the meeting that despite high demand from the market, the recommended retail price should remain 1,499 yuan per bottle.

At the meeting, Moutai announced several measures to protect an open market for the liquor including strengthening sales management, terminal services, market inspectors and liability for breach of contract.

To prevent liquor scalpers raising prices, Li suggested the application of facial recognition technology on Moutai's market selling.

Wang Jin contributed to this story.