These days, the most common alcoholic drinks in Korea are soju (a clear, colorless distilled beverage) and beer. However, Korea boasts traditional alcohol as good as any famous alcohol in the world. Korea has a long history and traditions for crafting alcohol. Recently, traditional Korean alcohol has been markedly developed, gaining wider popularity among the public while keeping their pride as a national heritage. Let’s learn dig a little deeper below!

Overview

Korea boasts hundreds of kinds of traditional alcohol. Each region has its own drinks. Recipes are endlessly diverse. Traditional Korean alcohol can be divided into fermented liquors and distilled liquors. Brewed liquors are made from grains and fruits through a fermentation process. Thus they are called fermented liquors, too. Makgeolli (rice wine) is the most popular fermented alcohol in Korea, with a lower alcohol content than distilled liquors. Distilled liquors are madeby distilling fermented liquors in a distiller. To obtain a spirit of higher purity, distilling involves boiling and cooling processes. Traditional Korean distilled liquors include maesilju and bokbunjaju made from fruit.

History

With a long history involved, Korea has traditional alcoholic beverages of numerous kinds and tastes. During the Joseon Dynasty, men liked to drink at dinner, leading to the development of various kinds of beverages. As part of their cultural annihilationpolicy,Japanese colonizers banned ordinary people from making alcohol except in licensed breweries. Our traditional brewing discontinued altogether. In 1995, making alcoholic beverages in our traditional way was allowed by the government. The culture of brewing traditional liquors was reinvented. Here are some outstanding places that have been trying to foster such a valuable cultural heritage.

Brew Your Own Liquor – Samhae Soju Brewery

Samhae Soju Brewery is run by Kim Taek-sang who is a master craftsman designated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government as an intangible cultural heritage. With an alcohol content of 45 percent, Samhae Soju was a high-end liquor consumed by the ruling class during the Joseon Dynasty. Having revived the invaluable brewing technique, Kim Taek-sang has run the place for 15 years to introduce the liquor that was rarely available to the public during the dynasty. Make a reservation to attend a lecture and atastingsession.You can also participate in the liquor-making process through a separate application process.

Samhae Soju Brewery

Address

• 142, Changdeokgung-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Hours

• Daily 12:00 - 20:00

Tel

• +82-70-8202-9165

The Traditional Liquor Gallery

The Traditional Liquor Gallery is a place where you can taste various traditional Korean liquor. Under a specific theme, it exhibits 4-5 kinds of new liquors produced locally every month. You can taste them at designated hours with an introduction ofthehistoryand characteristics of the beverages. The tasting session is offered in four languages such as Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese. Please check in advance when the session is offered in the language of your choice. Of course, you can buy traditional Korean liquor at the store as gifts.

The Traditional Liquor Gallery

Address

• 51-20, Teheran-ro 5-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Hours

• 10:00 - 20:00 (Closed Mondays)

Tel

• +82-2-555-2283

Website

• http://thesool.com/gallery/about_gallery/