GUIYANG, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Liquor producer Kweichow Moutai Group on Monday launched a special edition of its famous Moutai liquor to celebrate the Year of the Dog.
The Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, falls on Feb. 16 this year in the Western calendar. This year's celebration will end the Year of the Rooster and usher in the Year of the Dog.
The dog comes 11th in the 12-animal rotation used by the Chinese to represent the year, following the rooster and preceding the pig. Other zodiac animals include the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, horse, goat and monkey.
The liquor, priced at 1,699 yuan (266 U.S. dollars) per bottle, is only available for purchase online. Each customer is limited to one bottle.
Moutai started selling liquor commemorating the zodiac year in 2014, which proved quite popular in the market.
"We plan to sell 1,500 tonnes of the special liquor this year, almost twice the amount last year," said Li Baofang, Party chief of the group.
Sources with the group said earlier this month that the company will put at least 7,000 tonnes of its Moutai liquor on the market before Spring Festival,
Moutai is a sorghum-based spirit produced by Kweichow Moutai Co. Ltd. and is China's top brand of baijiu (white alcohol). The liquor, often served on official occasions and at state banquets, is considered a luxury item that has long been a popular gift.
Kweichow Moutai has raised the retail price of a 500-ml bottle of Feitian Moutai, its flagship product, to 1,499 yuan this year from 1,299 yuan last year.
The group hopes to generate revenue of at least 90 billion yuan in 2018.
