Soju: Korean Traditional Wine

Soju is a Koran Traditional Wine, which was first started as distilled beverage. First presented by the Won Dynasty during the 13th century, Soju remained as a high-class beverage before the 20th century. It was due to the complicated manufacturing process of the Soju. To make this Soju, people had to first heat up the Soju dough and get the vapor. That small amount of vapor became Soju. Since it took a very long time and much rice to make Soju, kings very often banned the making of Soju during the drought.

                                       

The modern Soju, also known as ‘the Green Bottle’ was first introduced during the Japanese Occupation of Korea. The Japanese Colonial Office changed the alcoholic law in the 1920s and made every brewery in the country register their recipe for inspection. In the process, much of the recipes were lost. After losing the knowledge of making distilled Soju, people changed from making factory-made Soju made out of sweetner and water. In the 1960s, President Park Jeong-hee ordered alcohol makers to stop using rice and manufacturing alcohol. After this act, the remaining traditional Soju (distilled Soju) became extinct from the country. Nowadays, 90% of the Soju market is made out of these ‘Green Bottles’, made from big factories.

                                     

Difference from the traditional hand-made Soju and the modern factory-made Soju is their ingredients. The traditional Soju only uses grain (rice) and water in the manufacturing process whereas the modern one uses artificial materials. Therefore, the factory-made ‘Green Bottles’ have much more negative impact to your health when drinking.