Soju

Where it started

Distillation reached Korea during the Goryeo dynasty, brought by the Mongols, and the spirit took the name soju from characters meaning "to burn" and "liquor."³ Mongol encampments in Gaegyeong (Kaesong), Andong and Jeju became centers of distilling, and soju is first documented in about 1375.¹ It was precious: one kilogram of rice made only about 400 ml of soju in the Joseon era.³ The Joseon court sent soju as a gift to the lord of Tsushima, and Japanese sake sommeliers believe Joseon techniques shaped Kyushu's barley shochu.³

The 20th century nearly erased it. A 1909 liquor tax law required permission to brew at home, and laws from 1934 through 1995 forbade it.⁴ After a famine in the 1960s the Korean government banned rice and barley for alcohol, so diluted soju of alcohol, water and sweeteners took over.³ Sources differ on the ban's exact year; the Korea JoongAng Daily dates it to 1965 and its lifting to 1999.⁶ The 1988 Seoul Olympics started a revival of traditional liquors.³

Where and how it's made

Korea's Liquor Tax Act lists soju among its distilled alcoholic beverages.² Koreans still split it in two: jeungryusik (distilled) and hiseoksik (diluted) soju.⁶ Traditional soju starts with nuruk, a grain cake carrying Aspergillus oryzae, mixed with cooked rice, water and yeast and fermented for about twelve days; the filtered liquid is distilled in a soju gori, a gourd-shaped pot still.¹ Diluted soju starts as 95 percent column-distilled alcohol from grains or tubers.¹

Andong soju is a traditional regional style: a 45-degree spirit from non-glutinous rice and wheat nuruk.⁵ After the 1962 liquor tax revision banned pure-grain liquor, its recipe survived as the 12th Intangible Cultural Heritage of Gyeongsangbuk-do.⁵

The green bottle has grown lighter. One flagship brand launched in 1998 at 23 percent, and its lighter version dropped from 16.5 to 16 percent in 2024.⁷

How to taste it

Traditional soju deserves a small glass, neat, at room temperature or lightly chilled. Look for cooked-rice, pear and nutty notes, and a finish that stays clean. Diluted soju is usually served chilled in small glasses; its lower strength also lets it be sold in U.S. venues licensed only for wine and beer.¹ Pairings: Korean barbecue, kimchi pancake, spicy stews.

Styles and what the label means

• Distilled soju (jeungryusik) — pot-distilled from fermented grain; the traditional and craft category.⁶
• Diluted soju (hiseoksik) — neutral alcohol cut with water and sweetened; the mass-market bottle.⁶
• Andong soju — the 45-degree regional classic.⁵