If you know me, I love reading about, tasting and (if I saved up enough as a broke uni student) collecting whisky with stories. So you'd understand when I was practically jumping at the chance to attend a Ki One masterclass taught by Master Distiller Andrew Shand himself. 

And so this evening we found ourselves at La Maison du Whisky Singapore's bar with a whole gleaming array of Ki One single malts lined up on the bar counter. A line of single malts created by Korea's Three Societies Distillery, the Korean phrase “Ki One” means “Beginning” and “Hope”. It surely is a fitting name for the most promising whisky distillery in a country where Western liquor used to be an afternote. 

A tall, lean and well-spoken Scot, Andrew was practically the epitome of what you'd expect from a man born in a distillery, and having grown up with an utmost passion for the elixir we so crave. Over a few drams, Shand shared with us more about whisky production at Three Societies Distillery.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, let me introduce you to the wonderful story of how Ki One came to be. After all, it wouldn't be untrue to say that  “Whisky” and “Korea” are not often mentioned in the same breath.

As the story goes, the seeds of Ki One were first planted when distillery founder Bryan Do first observed the successes of Japanese and Taiwanese distilleries. The Korean-American founder then decided that he could, too, change Korea’s relationship with whisky.

Hand & Malt was founded as an artisanal craft beer brewery, with its own hop farm. The brewery's products came to be a hit amongst Koreans. (Image Source: SG Magazine)

He initially started off with an artisanal beer brewery, which did spectacularly well (Psst, you can read more about it here). Despite his reluctance however, Do sold his brewery to AB-Inbev in 2008, having felt that selling his business was for the best due to the difficult economics of making beer in Korea.

Before long, Do redirected his love for malt and alcohol into single malt whisky. To that end, he reached out to Andrew Shand, who has over 40 years of experience making whisky at prestigious companies the likes of Glenlivet Distillery and Nikka Distillery. Together, they set up a distillery in the hilly region of Namyangju, a quiet city to the east of Seoul, with the goal of creating Korea’s first ever single malt. 

And thus, Three Societies was born.

Founder Bryan Do and master distiller Andrew Shand (Image Source: Three Societies Distillery)

Now, you might be wondering why exactly Do decided to name his brand new distillery such a peculiar name. Well, the story is a pretty wholesome one: the name is derived from the three main people that make up the distillery. First comes Korean American founder Do. Next, the Scottish Master Distiller and Blender Shand, and last but not least the Korean distillery staff that help the distillery churn out their excellent product.

They even have three early edition single malts that were named after animals associated to each of their countries. The Ki One "Eagle" Edition (For Do), the Ki One "Unicorn" Edition (For Shand), and the Ki One "Tiger" Edition (For the distillery staff).

The two of them certainly had their work cut out for them, not least the early social stigma against overconsumption of liquor in Korea, as well as younger Koreans' preference for cheap soju. The out-dated excise taxation laws in Korea certainly didn't help. Not only was making whisky in Korea much more expensive than making other types of alcohol, excise tax breaks are not granted to whisky.

Furthermore, whisky requires aging in a barrel, and during this process, angels come and claim a good proportion of the spirit in the barrel. Oddly enough, very little of this loss is accounted for under Korean tax law.

Namyangju was specifically selected by Bryan Do to be the distillery location, due to its temperature swings that could fluctuate between over a sweltering 30 degrees Celsius in summer and minus 20 degrees Celsius in winter. (Image Source: Three Societies Distillery)

You see, Korea's admittedly not very updated when it comes to alcohol tax. The current Korean liquor tax system is still based on the law created by Japan. Seventy-two percent of the factory price of distilled liquor is tax. We're not quite sure if the powers that be don't understand the importance of ABV (Or angel's share, for that matter), but higher ABV liquor essentially means less profits and ability to sustain one's business.

As Shand cheekily puts it: "We would love to have a higher ABV, but the taxman comes and we don't love it so much anymore."

Moreoever, Korea taxes producers based on the value of the whisky, the value of the bottle, the value of the packaging, the cork, and even the label. "They add it all up, and then they screw you for 130%. And just to make it really, really fair, if you import whisky, they only pay 100%," he said.

"So we're paying 35% more tax on a whole package while they're only paying on the liquid. So we did the first batches at 40% just to keep the price down."

Nonetheless, Ki One has been doing some great stuff, and the streak of innovation has clearly been going strong too.

Most recently, the distillery has announced Korea's first ready-to-drink highball in a bottle, as well as the first whisky made with 100 per cent Korean ingredients.

For those that want to have an in depth look into what Three Societies is about, we actually managed to sit down with Do for an interview some time back. Click here to read our fascinating conversation!

"That's all fine and good," you say, "but how are the whiskies?" Let's not risk boring you, dear reader, and get stuck in!

Ki One Korean Single Malt New Make Spirit, 2024, 59.1% ABV – Review

We had the good fortune to taste Ki One's New Make, which is a bottle that you might have a chance of getting only if you head on down to the distillery in Korea yourself.

As Shand went on to mention with some pride, he wanted to focus particularly on their new make spirit, aiming for it to be light, smooth and easy to drink. He lamented that most new makes from distilleries didn't taste great to him, and he wanted to change that.

"I want it to go into the cask as a good spirit, so the cask doesn't have to turn it from an average spirit with a lot of bad tastes into something else. And that allows us to get our whiskey to mature much, much quicker."

In Korea, what's notable about the weather is that winters are exceptionally cold, but summers become rather hot. The new make is made in the summer season, which results in a much fruitier spirit. Shand said: "We leave it for about 140 hours in the fermenters and that allows the yeast to work. It stays warm for a long, long time, and you get very, very fruity notes.

"Once it's over 70 hours, lactic acid starts to form in the fermenter. So when it gets really, really hot, the yeasts multiply and make lots of funky fruit flavors. In the wintertime, because it's so cold, that doesn't happen," he added.

On the flip side, a winter-season new make spirit retains some fruitiness, but has much more spice within due to the limited maximum temperatures the fermenters can rise to.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Surprisingly aromatic! It’s vibrant and creamy with an initial sweetness of icing sugar. This gives way to a delightful sweet maltiness, and it’s even got this distinctive fruitiness often seen in Belgian witbier with apricots, oranges and some coriander spice. It’s faint feinty and a little bit prickly on the nose to be sure, though overall the spice is manageable and does not overpower the richness of the other elements.

Palate: Really expressive, compelling mix of sweet and savoury notes with an oily and satisfying texture. Sweet malt and toasted barley provide a solid foundation, complemented by the tropical fruitiness of lychees and langsat berries. Towards the end, a slight drying lactic tang note emerges, reminiscent of tzatziki dip.

Finish: Long and satisfying, with a characteristic minty spiced note often found in Ki One’s whiskies. There’s some lingering sweetness of cream and malt grist.

My Thoughts:

This Ki One new make was an unexpected stunner! It has a complexity that reminds me of a high-quality soju, both in its flavourfulness and drinkability.

The flavour profile is incredibly vibrant and the texture is divine. It’s certainly interesting to see how the long fermentation over the summer period has led to such a high degree of fruitiness and creaminess.

I personally find this very smooth for the high ABV that it has, though adding several drops of water wouldn’t hurt. All in all, this is one of those rare new makes that I could happily purchase and drink for enjoyment, rather than pure novelty. It's a real shame it's not readily available outside of Korea!

Ki One Batch 1, Virgin American Oak, Korean Single Malt 40% ABV – Review 

Shand shared that the Ki One signature was inspired by his desire to make a whisky "that was like a Korean meal". He said: "So when you go out for food in Korea, you get your main dish, and then you get lots of side dishes. So I wanted to have a whisky that was well-balanced, and our main dish would have that savory spiciness."

While all of Ki One's whiskies have spiciness to a degree, Shand told us that he wanted to recreate something like a full spread of "side dishes" in terms of flavor (Much like in Korean cuisine). 

"So I wanted to have an oaky flavor from the wood. I wanted to have like vanilla, which comes from the wood. From our fruitiness, we get lots and lots of bananas, raisins, sultanas. And then from the winter spicy ones, we get like nutmeg and a nuttiness to it."

Tasting Notes

Nose: Creamy-sweet aromas of maple syrup and vanilla cream, joined by light fruitiness of stewed apples and apricots. There’s a light tannic quality, with subtle notes of pine wood shavings and dried leaves. Very smooth entry with no spice whatsoever but with a light touch of mint and light liquorice.

Palate: Smooth, though a little lighter bodied than expected on the mouthfeel. There’s a definite sweetness of maple syrup, brown sugar, which turns a little tart with notes of sour plum and stewed green apples. Spice gently builds on the mid-palate, generating some zesty citrus peels and heat of black peppers, and a dash of cinnamon.

Finish: Medium length, sweet and significantly more spiced. A warm glow of brown sugar and sarsaparilla syrup, a gentle, fading prickliness of cinnamon and peppers with a touch of charred oak and sea coconut.

My Thoughts:

A pleasant combination of sweet caramel, ripe orchard fruits and spices. It’s really approachable and would appeal most to those who enjoy lighter style single malts. The finish is my favourite aspect, with a peak of spice and deepening brown sugar notes and oak.

Ki One Batch 2, Virgin American Oak and Bourbon Cask, Korean Single Malt 40% ABV – Review 

A whisky made with 50-50 Virgin American Oak and Bourbon Casks, this particular expression mirrors the Ki One in that it has that sort of bourbon familiarity, without a (and I quote Shand, who personally does not like bourbon) "sticky," "cloying" corn sweetness you might get from certain bourbons. 

Tasting Notes

Nose: This seems brighter and more robust than Batch 1 and somewhat reminds me of a typical Speyside malt. It opens floral and perfumed, with notes of jasmine flowers, sweet  citrus fruits, orange blossoms and sour plums. Joined by honey, caramel and tinned peaches before turning torwards light grassiness and pine wood.

Palate: It’s got a richer body than the Batch 1. Continues from the nose with that honeyed, jasmine floral character and distinctly reminds me of Heaven & Earth Jasmine Green Tea. Sweet notes of sour plums and stewed cherries, while the honeyed layer turns towards a subtle Chinese herbal accents of tortoise jelly (龟苓膏). Some warming spices build in the mid palate.

Finish: Medium length. Brown sugar, butterscotch, joined by a lingering prickliness of chili spice. It ends with a mild oaky astringency and minor aromatic tobacco notes. 

My Thoughts

While we’re still in the territory of very approachable whiskies, I like that Batch 2 drums up the heft and it’s significantly more flavour-forward. You got that trademark sweetness of caramel and fruitiness that we've come to expect from Three Societies, with a more pronounced herbaceousness and peppery spiciness adding some vibrancy to the spirit. 

Ki One Batch 3, Oloroso Sherry Hogshead Casks, Korean Single Malt 46% ABV – Review

Tasting Notes

Nose: Sweet and honeyed, and substantially weightier than the prior Batches. Manuka honeyed first greets the nose, intertwined with bright and luscious red fruits as raspberries, cranberries and dried sultanas. Depths of oak spice and wood polish linger in the background, then a subtle note of Hacks brand menthol candy and liquorice. Some traces of spices as cloves and nutmeg.

Palate: The richness of European oak takes center stage. Opens with a warm stewed fruit sweetness and a surge of warming cinnamon and anise, carried forward by espresso and mildly bitter oakiness. Continues to transition towards some dark chocolate malt character, with the spices intensifying through the palate.

Finish: Long, lingering and warm, leaving a long trail of liquorice and cocoa powder notes. Soft baked apples and a medley of ginger and baking spices, and a touch of light mustiness you might get when visiting an old bookstore in Tokyo.

My Thoughts:

This is significantly more complex than the prior Batches and yet retains that readily accessible and flavour-forward personality of Ki One, especially with that honeyed sweetness, now laced with some warm red fruits and European oak aromatics. It’s certainly a bit heavier on the spice due to the use of European oak, but the sweetness of the red fruits and Oloroso sherry influence offers a pleasant counterpoint to the bolder heat and spice. A solid, satisfying dram.

Ki One Batch 4, Smoked, Korean Single Malt 46% ABV – Review

Now, Ki One's Batch 4 might be a little confusing. Let's take it slow here.

The Batch 4 is in reality two different expressions, one "smoked" and one "peated", with the former not quite being outright peated, but being more approachable with a faint peat smokiness. 

The creation of the "Smoked" stemmed from the need to cater to Korean palettes. As a large part of their fanbase was in Korea, they didn't want to alienate the population with a peated whisky not everyone might enjoy. "With peated whiskey, you either like it or you don't," Shand said. 

"So I came up with the idea of doing two expressions. It's like, you've got Coca-Cola and Diet Coke. So the smoked one is like Diet. Diet 4. So you've got Diet 4 and not Diet 4. The peated one would be like regular Coke."

He said: "What I did was I blended it in such a way that I took the earthiness out of it so it's still got a smokiness, but it doesn't have that earthy oiliness in it." Of course, this earthy oiliness is certainly reintroduced into the "peated", so that aficionados can enjoy a fully peated Ki One too! 

Tasting Notes

Nose: Citrusy and dry. Opens with vanilla and caramelised brown sugar, quickly joined by bright, zesty citrus elements interwoven with dry smoke – bringing to mind smoked lemons and some green mangoes. There's a rather slight smokiness and grassiness in the background, comparable to burnt hay and the smell of dried leaves. Some mild coastal notes in the background.

Palate: Quite zesty and powerful. Initial notes of vanilla, caramel and toffee are quickly followed by sweet yuzu and a dry maltiness. The mid-palate turns towards an intense citric zestiness and pepperiness that cuts through the richness, with some toasted apple chips adding a subtle fruitiness. The smoke itself is clean and not overwhelming, only emerging towards the mid-palate and allowing the subtler apple notes to shine through.

Finish: Moderately long. It concludes with trailing notes of smoked lemons, lemon zest and a distinctive dry oakiness. A final touch of earthiness and spiced aniseed.

My Thoughts:

This is rather a refined malt. It’s clean and the distinctive dry maltiness reminds me of a bourbon cask Caol Ila, while the touch of lemon zestiness reminds me of a lightly peated Ardbeg. It’s got an enjoyable mix of zestiness, pepperiness and fruitiness. I would just have enjoyed this even more if it had a bit more fruitiness on the mid-palate to counterbalance the dry oakiness. Overall, a decent, smoked single malt that showcases a deft hand with peat.

Ki One Batch 4, Peated, Korean Single Malt 46% ABV – Review

Tasting Notes

Nose: A plume of smoked malt and the smell of a smouldering campfire embers after rain. It’s got a bracing menthol note as well and a thick wildflower honey sweetness, before turning towards a damp earthiness with a subtle hint of bitterness that brings to mind traditional Chinese/Korean medicine; ginseng root, tongkui and a blend of other indistinct medicinal herbs.

Palate: The entry is surprisingly bright and smooth, with clean notes of vanilla and salted caramel in a pleasantly medium-bodied texture that coats the tongue. This sweetness is quickly overtaken by bolder notes of toasted oak and a growing medicinal herbs character. As the palate develops, the mid-palate turns towards a distinct iodine peatiness, interwoven with dried sage, bay leaf, menthol, seaweed and brine. The pleasant honeyed character remains in the backdrop, and while this does have a bit more heat, with so much going on you barely notice it initially.

Finish: Long, minty and aromatic. A lingering dryness from the oak remains, accompanied by strong black tea tannins, tobacco, espresso powder and that persistent menthol note. There's a bit more earthiness here along with a distinct mineral quality of wet stones. As smoke and honey subsidies we get remnants of pepper and warmth spread across the back of the throat.

My Thoughts:

This is a much fuller-bodied Ki One than its predecessors. It’s got a robust smoke character joined by some rather evocative herbs reminiscent of traditional Chinese and Korean medicines. Despite the heavier peatiness, the entry on the palate was surprisingly approachable. The smoke and peat is also nicely balanced against richer notes of caramel and vanilla.

While it shares some characteristics with classic Islay whiskies, it doesn't quite fit neatly into that category. The peat is undeniable, but rather than a Lagavulin or Laphroaig-esque iodine character to it, it’s got a more oriental touch, and tastes closer to familiar Asian or Cantonese medicinal soups or desserts thanks to the sweetness of the spirit.

Not terribly complex, but it’s still a pretty distinctive and enjoyable smoky dram that showcases Three Societies Distillery’s growing confidence in its unique malt character.

Ki One Batch 5, Port Cask, Korean Single Malt 46% ABV – Review 

Like Shand says, the core of this port cask Ki One expression is a syrupy sweetness. We've got a little bit of spiciness, oakiness, bananas, sultanas, raisins and vanilla. 

Six drams in, everything was admittedly starting to blur together. Shand shared a little about his own personal remedy to ensure he can keep on tasting. "Everything will start to blur a little bit. It's very difficult. It's funny. I can't handle, once I go beyond five, everything tastes like Cask number five. So I generally do one or two, eat a biscuit, and then I have a third one, eat another biscuit. Do a fifth one, eat another biscuit. And then I'll go and do something else for like 45 minutes, an hour. And then I'll come back and I'll do another two casks."

"That's how I got the big belly," he joked.

He also joked that people who go on tours in the distillery must have been bewildered at his extensive process, where whiskies are laid out for his analysis. "If anyone who's watching doesn't know who I am and everything, they must think that this must be a great job." He laughed: "All that they see is this guy, he goes and does something and then he comes back and drinks a whisky. And then he goes and does something else and he drinks another whisky.  And they pay him for this as well?"

Tasting Notes

Nose: Rich and filled with depths of red fruits. Initial aromas are a burst of cranberries, cherries and redcurrants interwoven with a jammy sweetness, turning towards a liquorice note and a pronounced menthol lozenges aroma (Hacks candy). Underneath that, some milder hints of sarsaparilla and fresh apricot.

Palate: Rich, sweet and spiced. Opens with a pleasant biscuity note paired with honeyed sweetness and a touch of orange oil, liquorice remaining prominent. The palate evolves into a lovely tapestry of stewed dried fruits and baking spices, giving this dark fruitcake character. It’s festive! Offers up some more notes of candied peel, ginger and nutmeg. A subtle menthol note shows up along with the light herbaceousness of mint and eucalyptus.

Finish: Fairly long and somewhat savoury. Heat builds towards the end and lingers with crushed black peppercorns and ginger. It’s got a slight, not unpleasant vellichor mustiness reminiscent of old books and right at the end a touch of teriyaki sauce in a savory counterpoint.

My Thoughts:

This is perhaps my favourite of the Ki One range. This is amongst the most flavourful with its interplay of fruit, spice and oak while maintaining a certain freshness or lusciousness in the red fruit notes. The port cask influence is evident but it doesn’t overwhelm. It is on the slightly more spiced side, but heat has been well cushioned by the thick sweetness and well-balanced mature port cask notes.

Ki One Batch 6, Pedro Ximenez Sherry Hogshead Casks, Korean Single Malt 46% ABV – Review

Tasting Notes

Nose: Rich, indulgent and festive. Vibrant jammy red fruit notes take center stage with strawberry and raspberry compote, before revealing some deeper oaky note; polished wood, antique furniture and granddad’s cigar boxes. Tons of baking spices too with chai tea latte and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon adding some warmth.

Palate: Dense, robust, very heavy on the European wood spices and with a weighty mouthful. It’s pretty hot from the get go, with notes of chili and pepper, though as spice departs, we get a distinctive layer of stewed red fruits that evolve towards mature oxidative Sherry notes, reminiscent of worn leather, tobacco, and a nut praline impression.

Finish: The spirit leaves a persistent warmth on the back of the throat, with a touch of dark chocolate bitterness, espresso, worn leather and a light dryness of peanut skin.

My Thoughts:

This Batch’s got a weight and maturity to it that the others haven't quite reached. The PX casks seem to have really done a number on it, giving it ton of serious  European oak extraction and a boat load of spice that I honestly wasn’t expecting.

That being said, this is probably the sherry-iest of the sherried expressions from Ki One’s core range at the moment. This is for those who like their big and bold sherry bombs. And if the heat feels a bit much, adding several drops of water does help to release more fruitiness and smoothen out the spice quite significantly.

Final Thoughts

The Ki One range is remarkably consistent in quality. Even as each Batch has explored a different aspect of maturation (or in Batch 4’s case, peating), there’s a common thread of being quite flavourful, with an easy going sweetness and an approachable character. The unifying thread of honeyed sweetness and spice in the finish ties every expression together.

I’m also nice to see that Three Societies has been pretty receptive to feedback from whisky enthusiasts, increasing the ABV to a solid 46% from Batch 3 onwards. It does seem to add a bit of oomph and depth without sacrificing the inherent approachability of the whiskies.

While each batch has its merits, for me, the Port Cask Batch 5, is my personal favourite. The influence of the port cask has been well-integrated, adding vibrancy and depth while maintaining a luscious fruity profile and without overshadowing the distillery's signature character.

It’s been great fun witnessing the evolution of Ki One through each successive Batch. Every couple of release, they appear to further refine their craft and steadily find their voice in the world of whisky, and that shows immense promise for what the future holds for Three Societies Distillery.

I feel obliged to add a coda on just how tasty Ki One new make spirit was. Rather than the spate of active casks we’ve seen Ki One being matured in, I would really love to see how this new make squares up when we mature it in a much more tired refill cask. Here’s hoping the distillery and Master Distiller Andrew Shand is quietly experimenting with that concept! 

Lok Bing Hong A budding journalist that loves experiencing new things and telling people's stories. I have 30 seconds of irresponsibly sanctimonious brilliance a day. I do not decide when they come. They are not consecutive.