Kaoliang Liquor, the clear spirit that gets its name from the Mandarin word for sorghum is a favourite spirit among Taiwanese retirees. While it has fallen out of favour with the youth who have turned to the influence of Western palates, Kaoliang liquor remains to be a must try for any visitor to the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Kaoliang Liqour is a strong distilled spirit made from fermented sorghum (which is called gaoliang/kaoliang in Chinese). It is made and sold in both mainland China and Taiwan, and also popular in Korea, where it is called goryangju. Kaoliang is an important product of the islands Kinmen and Matsu which are under the jurisdiction of Taiwan and the liquor packs a punch with alcohol ranging between 38 and 63 percent.