There's sometimes this perception that when a distillery is first establish, all there is to do is get the stills running, lay the casks and simply wait. Sure, it's a long wait, but that's all a distillery has to do as it surmounts that landmark 3 year touchstone where its spirits would now be recognised as whisky proper by international standards for whisky ageing. 

South Korea's Craftbros has proven that that's anything but the case.

Put aside that Craftbros is itself an incredibly popular craft beer brewery known for its hoppy IPA's, and so has a full brewery operation to run, its distiller and blender Eddie (Jooho) Kim has made sure to fully seize these formative years to establish what Craftbros will need in order to be an enduring whisky distillery that continues to serve as a pioneering lighthouse for its fellow South Korean distillers. It makes sense that before the liquid is ready, the brand has to already be top of mind, with a full suite of expressions that tap on various sensibilities, creative directions, and cater to different palates.

Now, we're not long away from Craftbros hitting that hallowed 3 year mark (which would be in 2026 - this year!), and I'm sure the distillery already has big plans for the momentous occasion. And yet already the distillery has set itself up with all that it needs for a full fledged launch, by now having already released numerous expressions that have built out that Craftbros' game world. So as we look forward to that big milestone, let's unpack what Craftbros offers with its whiskies!

Founder Kang Ki-Moon (Left) and Distiller and Blender Eddie (Jooho) Kim (Right).

Craftbros now has three ranges of expressions:

• Craftbros Single Malt: Craftbros' own Korean Single Malt Whisky (and also distilled IPA).
• JEGI Series: Collaboration double distillery blends of Craftbros' own single malt whisky / distilled IPA and another distillery's single malt whisky / distilled spirit (such as aged Soju).
• Whiskybros: World Malt Whisky blend of Craftbros' own single malt whisky and whiskies sourced from other countries, featuring design collaborations for its labels.

What this means is that beyond getting down to just what Craftbros' own Korean single malt has to offer, you're also seeing a regular guest appearance from not just other whisky distilleries (both within and outside of Korea), but also other local Korean liquor distillers, shining a light on Korea's rich heritage of its own distilled spirits (called sool, and it goes beyond Soju or Makgeolli), along with also various pop culture icons that aren't from the drinks trade, and all whilst demonstrating Craftbros' ability to distill and blend, demonstrated across their own single malts and their new world blends. It's the whole package!

Watch out for some local barley Korean single malts from Craftbros soon! These were made with local Korean Gimpo barley and has even been aged in local oak.

Now that's not to say this is the only approach, but it's an approach to building out their name and brand that we can certainly get behind! And having tasted numerous of their expressions across their ranges (as well as having shared them with the local whisky community), we can confidently say that Craftbros' are on to something. They're showing great promise and punching way above their weight, and constantly putting out new expressions for their fans to look forward to. It's certainly no secret that we're big fans.

Which brings us to what we have today - the LIFE x Whiskybros collaboration. To carve out its own segment, Craftbros has decided to put their World Blend expressions under the Whiskybros brand, and for its first release, they've made a reprisal of a collaboration that propelled the popularity of their craft beers! 

"To see Life; to see the world."

That is of course the motto of the iconic LIFE Magazine, whose visually striking covers have adorned the craft beers of Craftbros - and was in fact what first caught our attention! With Craftbros' founder Kang Ki-Moon having had a career in advertising before going off the deep end of craft beers, it's no surprise that with much of Craftbros' beers, it's been what's on the outside and the inside that's counted! Isn't it always just the best feeling when it looks great and tastes amazing? And so having found much success with their collaboration with LIFE, it's now Whiskybros' turn to don these iconic covers and catch some well-deserved attention!

And so today we've the first two Whiskybros' World Blends, Monroe 48% and Che 53%, I'm sure you can tell which is which - now keep in mind that with many Asian distillers, blending is as much if not more so a highly prized artform than even the distilling of the whisky itself! A blend is anything but easy! It requires an acute eye for the tiniest of proportions, with also a deep, intimate understanding of the components, which should yield a blend that is harmonious and layered, where the individualities are both somehow paradoxically impossible to delineate but also apparent for appreciation! On a sidenote, our numerous interviews with many a high profile distillers in the West have consistently showed us how much appreciation there is for how highly esteemed the art of blending is in the East - one distiller even remarked that he would much rather be known as a Master Blender rather than a Master Distiller! And so it's nice to see that Craftbros' distiller (and blender) Eddie has taken to getting his hands on parcels of malt whiskies from around the world that he can demonstrate his blending skills!

Let's put them to the test, shall we?

Whisky Review: LIFE x Whiskybros Monroe 48 LIFE Whisky Blended Malt Whisky, 48% ABV

This is a blend of Scottish malt whiskies and Craftbros' own Korean single malt. Featured on the label is of course the pop culture icon Marilyn Monroe, American actress, singer and model, who was a superstar into the early 1960's. This expression was bottled at 48% ABV. 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Dark Gold

Aroma: Rich and honeyed, here more candied of maltose, with an immediate burst of tropical fruits of guavas, mangosteens and a touch of jackfruit. It leans brighter and more crystalline, with almost this vibrant gleam. At the back, really malty with lots of buttery shortcakes. This comes through more punchy and more lively even as it still has that same malty backbone. It settles on candied tropical fruits laid on a bed of warm honey with a side of shortcakes.

Taste: Medium-plus bodied, where it’s brighter on the nose, it’s definitely much more unctuous and richer on the palate, with a really thick, syrupy waxiness. It’s luscious and sensual, with lots of warm honey, backed by a depth of gentle sweetness of barley sugars, with then also a base of stewed plums and prunes, rounded out by some honeyed savouriness of teriyaki glaze.

Finish: The honeyed savouriness carries through to the finish, here joined by some more herbal tones of eucalyptus, just a dab of cough syrup. It’s rich and luscious through the finish, a combination of warm honey, eucalyptus, stewed dark fruits and some of that teriyaki sauce savouriness.

My Thoughts

This leaned brighter and more vibrant - I can't tell if it was intentionally matched to Monroe's own persona - but it was exuberant and lively right from the open, offering up these exotic tropical fruits! It almost had this gleam of shimmery brightness to the nose, yet at the same time backed by a depth of richness of buttery shortcakes. On the palate, much to our surprise, it was quite the opposite! Here it was incredibly rich and decadent, with this almost syrupy waxiness. Incredibly lavish and generous, its body was rounded and luscious, led by honey soaked plums and prunes, with then a line of sweet savouriness. The finish brought out more herbal tones, whilst carrying all the way through that delicious richness, with the full palette combining into its end.

This feels like the perfect dram for a cold winter, or perhaps an after meal digestif, and would make a really solid gift! This was a great showcase of blending effort, harmonious and completely cohesive, it feels both unique and yet at the same time familiar to the well-aged Sherried whiskies of the Highlands, with just a touch of that old 70's Islay magic!

Whisky Review: LIFE x Whiskybros Che 53 LIFE Whisky Blended Malt Whisky, 53% ABV

Also a blend of Scottish malt whiskies and Craftbros' own Korean single malt, this is bottled at a higher proof of 53% ABV. Featured on the label is South American revolutionary and resistance leader, Che Guevara, whose imagery has today become an icon for counter-culture.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Gold

Aroma: Richly honeyed, yet at the same time bright and bold, really lively and forward too. It quickly opens to give more decadent aromas of honeycomb on milk chocolates, honey drizzled over stewed plums and prunes, with a more perfumed top layer of lavender, fresh linens, countryside meadows and lacquered wood. It’s showing such great depth, with a really rich yet subtle malty canvas of buttery shortcakes. With time it only gets more juicy, with now an almost tropical quality of guavas, pineapples and mangoes. At the back is some nutty yet deep, gentle earthy sweetness of barley grist and barley sugars.

Taste: Medium-bodied, it’s rounded and rich, taking on an almost syrupy quality, luscious with warm tones of honey, with a side of savouriness that’s completely integrated into the body, accented with a tinge of burnt orange and a herbal element as well of cough syrup, bringing with it just a touch of medicinal bitterness. At the base are more stewed plums and prunes, with a touch of rancio of dried sour plums. There’s even a minerality to it of spring water that adds to its thickness.

Finish: It’s seamless through the finish, carrying through those stewed plums and prunes, with here a slightly more prominent bit of that medicinal bitterness and dried sour plums, yet at the same time completely backed by that richness of warm honey.

My Thoughts

Wow! Where the Monroe gave us tropical fruits, here we've got such a luxurious opening with honeycomb on milk chocolates, along with these beautiful, almost verdant, scents of the countryside meadows, lavender and lacquered wood! It's then layered on with those tropical fruits once again, although here leaning more juicy and less musky, all whilst keeping that buttery shortcake maltiness. It's showing such complexity and with such an evocative depth! There's so much going on, and at the same time it feels so well curated, without any clash or any scent fighting for attention. On the palate, it's rich and rounded, although not quite to the same extent as the Monroe 48, with here more of a very particular Highland quality (of a distillery that's often associated with giraffes, if you will), of tinges of burnt oranges and even a more herbal element. There's also a touch more rancio here, with even some minerality peeking through beyond the honeyed stewed dark fruits. It gets alittle more medicinal into the finish, although persistent with that richness and denser, darker fruitiness.

Where the Monroe 43 was vibrant and of contrasts, the Che 53 is incredibly layered and complex, reaching out towards any number of flavour profiles and yet demonstrating a great ability at keeping its balance and tying it all back together. Another very impressive effort in blending, the Che 53 is the type of whisky you bring to impress that impossible to please whisky veteran, or maybe just keep for yourself as the perfect end of day treat to get lost into.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot