Horse power: Chinese brands look to boost sales with Lunar New Year items

On Tuesday, Moutai launched three limited Year of the Horse editions priced between 1,899 yuan and 3,789 yuan (US$272 to US$542) a bottle.

The company said all varieties sold out shortly after going on sale. Speculators have since been offering to buy the entry-level bottle for around 3,000 yuan, while on social media platforms such as RedNote, resale prices for the most expensive offering have climbed to around 8,000 yuan.

Moutai rolled out its first zodiac-themed product in 2014, also the Year of the Horse. Bottles were priced at 849 yuan, with production limited to 350 tonnes (385.8 short tons), and later traded for around 20,000 yuan on the secondary market.

However, last year’s Year of the Snake bottles, priced from 2,499 yuan, saw far more muted demand, with resale prices only modestly higher.