China’s Official Brandy Tester Grows Nose For The Job

LIU Ge is an official brandy taster in Beijing. Liu Ge has been the official brandy tester for 52 years. And this is what his nose looks like.

Imagine the size of the brandy balloon needed to accommodate Mr Ge’s nose and the drink, with its liquid paraffin, muddy water and anti-freeze notes.

Mr Ge drinks two litres of brandy a day from a huge goldfish bowl. He is not so much a taster as he is self-pickler. Says he:

“Drinking alcohol has been just like drinking water to me. I had to drink sometimes two litres a day just to test the quality.”

What a trooper. This is the kind of dedication to his work that sets Mr Lui apart form mere idlers. He wants his nose altered. But we say, leave the nose on and encourage China to see it a as badge of honour.

Mr Liu is said to have rhinophyma, an illness caused by an expansion of blood vessels in his nose. Mr Liu’s vessels touch four inches long and two inches wide.

His drinking vessels are much larger – his schooner wind cup really is the size of an ocean-going schooner. Old Mr Anorak doffs his cap to you and wonders if Chinese brandy can be sold not as a drink, rather as a cure for penis enhancement?

Drop him a line to discuss.

Anorak

Posted: 12th, November 2009 | In: Strange But True Comment (1) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink