A liquor company in China has been selling perfume in what industry experts say is a bid to sniff out a new, younger market online.
Though Luzhou Laojiao, a well-known distiller of baijiu, has been offering the new scent on their website since August, netizens caught a big whiff of the news Tuesday.
The company sold through its entire stock of 20,000 units within 48 hours as a result of the social media attention this week, Luzhou Laojiao said on Sina Weibo Wednesday.
"We haven't decided whether we plan to restock," a customer representative told National Business Daily.
Though bearing a baijiu brand, the perfume skips on the pungent aromas associated with the grain alcohol and instead settles on a floral mix of peach blossom, peony and lilac, according to the product description.
It sells for 139 yuan ($22) for a 30 ml bottle.
Baijiu industry experts were skeptical of the move. "Luzhou Laojiao is probably trying out new ways to attract more young customers online," commented Sun Yanyuan, a Baijiu expert. "It would be quite difficult for them to cross over into cosmetics… otherwise it is just a marketing move."
Many on Sina Weibo just smelled an opportunity to make a joke. "You'd probably be dead drunk after taking one whiff," wrote "kuwang."
