Liqueur gets unique flavor with bamboo

A manufacturer of Chinese liqueurs, Chen Chao wanders through the bamboo-covered mountains of southwestern China's Sichuan province to his "cellar", where he will check on this year's prize blend.

In the absence of an oak barrel, the 30-year-old uses live bamboo trunks to age his spirit, a method reputed to confer a unique aroma and even medicinal benefits.

The cereal liqueur is introduced into bamboo trunks "via high-pressure injection techniques", he says.