It's safe to say that Korean rapper Jay Park seriously loves soju.

In fact, the former 2PM k-pop boyband member turned rapper loves soju so much that he even once wrote an entire rap dedicated to the Korean spirit, with lyrics that went like this:

With lyrics like this that spoke to the fervour of his soju obsession, perhaps it was only a matter of time before Jay Park would decide to launch his soju brand.

The result is Won Soju, Jay Park's own premium line of soju that debuted just last year in 2022. The brand unsurprisingly went viral in South Korea, and within six months of inception, celebrated the sale of their one million bottle. In fact, this soju became so popular in South Korea that at one point, the brand had to limit orders from local convenience stores to four bottles per order, three times a week. This meant that each chain could really only obtain twelve bottles every week, sparking discontent among chain store owners.

Jay Park, posing with Won Soju (Image source: Hypebeast)

Whenever a celebrity spirit is discussed, I suppose the natural instinct is for one to attribute its success to the use of star power. But in the case of Won Soju, I would even dare say that Jay Park-aside, Won Soju is a soju brand worthy of interest in and of itself. 

This is because the brand, by all official accounts, has successfully differentiated itself not just via the famous rapper, but through its traditional soju production techniques and ingredients - offering something refreshing and unique to what's currently available in the mainstream soju market.

Rice Rice, Baby! 

Unlike mainstream soju brands, Won Soju actually uses 100% domestic rice to make their soju. Historically, soju was produced using only rice, nuruk (fermentation starter) and water. However, due to rice shortages in Korea during the 1950s, soju producers were banned from using rice and instead started substituting it with other starches like potatoes or tapioca. While the ban was eventually lifted, today it's common for soju producers to use some combination of rice and other grains. Such is the case with most of the mass-produced, green-bottled sojus commonly seen in Korean restaurants or supermarkets, such as Chum Churum or Chamisul.

Won Soju is made from 100% domestically sourced pearl rice from Wonju. (Image source: Won Soju)

Won Soju not only departs from the mainstream brands in choosing to distill the spirit from only rice as a base ingredient, it also specifically sources higher-quality Totomi rice from the Wonju province. While mass-produced soju brands from the likes of Lotte and Hite Jinro use state-stocked rice for their soju, Jay Park's soju uses freshly harvested Totomi rice that is estimated to be around six times that price.

Today, I have with me the Won Soju Spirit, a soju distilled to 24% ABV. This is the second product release from Won Soju - with the first release being the Won Soju Original, distilled to 22% ABV. Unlike the Original, the Won Soju Spirit is not aged in an onggi after distillation, which is a traditional Korean clay pot.  

Won Soju Spirit, 24% - Review

Tasting Notes

Color: Clear

Aroma: Bright, clean, aromatic flavours of sweet steamed rice and a light touch of yogurt, with a light bit of minerality - very Sake-like! It is very attractive on the aromas and doesn't sting at all.

Taste: More sweetness of steamed rice - almost of a translucent quality, think glutinous rice cakes but bright and more fragrant. Frankly it's very close to Sake - and good Daiginjo Sake for that matter. There's more vanilla here, and also wheat, with a sort of creamy sweetness of White Rabbit milk candy. It then moves into a very lightly sweet and sour rice mash and yogurt - but very light. It's medium-bodied, very silky and bright and easy to drink.

Finish: Clean, with just a light bitterness and a long, growing warmth.

My Thoughts

My Rating:🥛🍬✨

Sweet and creamy like sparkling milk candy!

This definitely tastes very different from your standard green bottle soju - it is very Sake-like - in that it expresses very aromatic sweet rice flavours, and on the palate is akin to glutinous rice cakes. It isn't harsh and doesn't even smell like your conventional soju - in fact it really has great aromas that make it very attractive. On the palate, while sweet and fragrant, there is a little bit more of that alcohol flavours that come through that you definitely feel, but overall still very silky and easy to drink. What was particularly standout was that it had a nice thick texture that gave a very enjoyable mouthfeel. It was also pretty clean on the finish, which is always a good thing.

I think it's particularly bold that Won Soju has largely focused on an unflavoured expression rather than following in the footsteps with many of the other soju-makers who've added much more enticing flavours of apple, citrus, green grapes and what have you. This certainly demonstrates that at the core - they're at least confident of their soju and it shows - it has a real purity and cleanness about it whilst still being aromatic, flavourful and easy to drink.

Of course with soju you're not looking for a whole lot of complexity, so you can't ask for that much. But Won Soju seems to feel no need to mask its soju with added flavours and kudos to them! 
 

Kanpai!

@111hotpot