Archaeologists in China have successfully distilled wine using a replica of a 2,000-year-old bronze vessel uncovered from an emperor’s tomb. This discovery indicates that the technique of distilling spirits was present in China as early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE – CE 25), thereby pushing back the origins of China’s distillation technology by approximately 1,000 years.
The wine was produced using a method believed to have been employed at the time, incorporating taro as a key ingredient. The bronze vessel was found in the tomb of Liu He, the deposed ninth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BCE – EC 9), which remains one of the most well-preserved tombs from that period.
Liu He ascended the throne in 74 BCE. However, his reign was short-lived, as he was overthrown after just 27 days, likely due to misconduct. Following his deposition, he was exiled and given the title of Marquis of Haihun. Since its discovery in 2011, Liu’s tomb in eastern China has provided a wealth of artefacts. Among these artefacts are the oldest known painting of Confucius in China and 6,000 pieces of composite armour made from iron, copper, and lacquered leather.
Historically, the earliest recorded mention of alcohol distillation technology in China was found in the Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu), a significant medical text written by Li Shizhen during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). It was previously believed that this technology first appeared in the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368).
This breakthrough was achieved by a research team from the historical and cultural heritage conservation research centre associated with Zhengzhou University in Henan Province, Central China. Zhang Zhongli, an archaeologist with the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the project manager for the tomb excavation, stated, “This discovery has replicated the product from the Western Han Dynasty—from the raw materials to the production process and the instruments used.”
The research team replicated a distiller from the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun, located in Jiangxi Province, East China. The bronze distiller, discovered in the tomb’s wine storage chamber, comprises three components: the main pot or “heavenly pot,” a cylindrical vessel, and a cauldron.
Yao Zhihui noted that this ancient distiller was not only used for filtering alcohol but also for purifying and distilling cinnabar substances and floral extracts. However, Yao clarified that the use of the distiller for purifying cinnabar and floral substances could be “ruled out” based on the design of the vessel and residue analysis from the excavation site.
The research team’s replica, constructed at a 1:2 scale of the original, utilised raw liquid materials such as beer and yellow wine to test its functionality. The results demonstrated a distillation efficiency exceeding 70 per cent while preserving the flavour and alcohol concentration of the spirits.