Category: soju

  • September 2025 Drink Book Releases

    Here are new cocktails and spirits books being released in September 2025.

    To see all the New Drink Books of 2025, visit this link

    September 2025 drink books

    • Savory and Sweet Shrubs: Tart Mixers for Delicious Cocktails and Mocktails
    • American Whiskey Master Class: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Bourbon, Rye, and Other American Whiskeys

     

    • The Whiskey Bible: A Complete Guide to the World's Greatest Spirit

     

    • Get Lit: Cocktails That Bring Your Favorite Books to Life

     

     

    • Tequila, Mezcal & More: Discover, Sip & Mix the Best Agave Spirits
    • The Mixology Way: Classic cocktail recipes to master the art of mixology

     

    • The Japanese Way of Whisky: Japan's Whiskies and how to Enjoy them

     

    • Both Sides of the Glass: Paired Cocktails and Mocktails to Toast Any Taste

     

    • The Comic Book History of the Cocktail: Five Centuries of Mixing Drinks and Carrying On

     

    • The Whisky World Tour: A curated guide to unforgettable distilleries and their whiskies

     

    • Booze & Vinyl Country: 100+ Spirited Music-and-Drink Pairings

     

     

  • All the Cocktail and Drink Books from 2020 for Reading or Gifting

    It's time for the annual Alcademics drink book round-up! Below are all the books that have come to my attention in 2020. I don't follow wine/beer closely so there are only a few in that section. 

    The links below are to Amazon and to Bookshop.org. If you buy stuff after clicking on a link, I may receive a referral fee, thanks! If there is just one link, that's to Amazon as I only started using Bookshop mid-way through the year – you can always click over to Bookshop and search there. Bookshop.org allows you to order from small bookstores directly, or buy from a general fund that supports independent bookstores. 

     

     

    Whiskey Books

    41qEbUqNtIL._SX316_BO1 204 203 200_Whiskey Master Class: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Scotch, Bourbon, Rye, and More by Lew Bryson

    The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries: The Portable Expert to Over 200 Distilleries and the Spirits they Make (From Absinthe to Whisky, and Everything in Between) by Davin de Kergommeaux and Blair Phillips

    Which Fork Do I Use with My Bourbon?: Setting the Table for Tastings, Food Pairings, Dinners, and Cocktail Parties by Peggy Noe Stevens and Susan Reigler 

    Whisky, it's not rocket science by Mickael Guidot

    Canadian Spirits: The Essential Cross-Country Guide to Distilleries, Their Spirits, and Where to Imbibe Them by Stephen Beaumont and Christine Sismondo 

    51afRqSoTsL._SX331_BO1 204 203 200_Scotch: A Complete Introduction to Scotland’s Whiskies by Margarett Waterbury  buy on: [Amazon][Bookshop]

    The Curious Bartender’s Guide to Malt, Bourbon & Rye Whiskies by Tristan Stephenson [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    The Sazerac by Tim McNally [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    Beginner's Guide to Whiskey: Traditions, Types, and Tastes of the Ultimate Spirit by Sam Green  [Amazon][Bookshop]

    The Terroir of Whiskey: A Distiller's Journey Into the Flavor of Place by Rob Arnold  [Amazon][Bookshop]

    American Spirit: Wild Turkey Bourbon from Ripy to Russell by David Jennings  [Amazon][Bookshop]

     

     

    Other Spirits: Gin, Rum 

    51vBdm4PpeL._SX357_BO1 204 203 200_Gin: How to Drink it: 125 Gins, 4 Ways by Dave Broom [Amazon

    The Curious Bartender’s Guide to Rum by Tristan Stephenson [Amazon] [Bookshop]

     

     

     

    Brand Books

    Seedlip Cocktails: 100 Delicious Nonalcoholic Recipes from Seedlip & The World's Best Bars by Seedlip

    Bok-char_web1Chartreuse, The Liqueur [CocktailKingdom]

    A Long Stride: The Story of the World's No. 1 Scotch Whisky by Nicholas Morgan  buy on: [Amazon][Bookshop]

     

     

    Science Food and Drink Books

    418mGG7kVHL._SX376_BO1 204 203 200_Science and Cooking: Physics Meets Food, From Homemade to Haute Cuisine by Michael Brenner, Pia Sörensen, David Weitz  [Amazon][Bookshop]

    Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells by Harold McGee: [Amazon][Bookshop]

    The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained in More Than 100 Essential Recipes  by Nik Sharma  [Amazon][Bookshop]

     

     

    Beer, Wine, Vermouth, Sake, Fermentation 

    61Dpkit3R2L._SX309_BO1 204 203 200_Beer: Taste the Evolution in 50 Styles by Natalya Watson

    A Spirited Guide to Vermouth: An Aromatic Journey with Botanical Notes, Classic Cocktails and Elegant Recipes by Jack Adair Bevan 

    How to Make Hard Seltzer: Refreshing Recipes for Sparkling Libations by Chris Colby [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    Wine, Unfiltered: Buying, Drinking, and Sharing Natural Wine by Katherine Clary [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    Hugh Johnson s Pocket Wine Book by Hugh Johnson [Amazon

    The Wine Game by Zeren Wilson [Buy]

    The Japanese Sake Bible: Everything You Need to Know About Great Sake (With Tasting Notes and Scores for Over 100 Top Brands)  by Brian Ashcraft  [Amazon][Bookshop]

    Journey of Sake: Stories and Wisdom from an Ancient Tradition [Amazon]

    Fermentation as Metaphor  by Sandor Ellix Katz  [Amazon] [Bookshop]

     

     

    411Bcmkd-oL._SX331_BO1 204 203 200_History Books

    Rabbinic Drinking: What Beverages Teach Us About Rabbinic Literature by Jordan D. Rosenblum

    How to Drink: A Classical Guide to the Art of Imbibing (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers) by Vincent Obsopoeus [Amazon] [Bookshop]

     

     

     

    Non-Alcoholic Drinks

    How to Drink without Drinking: Celebratory alcohol-free drinks for any time of the day by Fiona Beckett [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    9781984856340Good Drinks: Alcohol-Free Recipes for When You're Not Drinking for Whatever Reason by Julia Bainbridge [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    FIZZ: A Beginners Guide to Making Natural, Non-Alcoholic Fermented Drinks
    by Elise van Iterson and Barbara Serulus

    Zero: A New Approach to Non-Alcoholic Drinks  [Amazon] [The Aviary]

     

     

     

    41q5TY-mxkL._SX331_BO1 204 203 200_Bartending: Narrative and Professional

    Unvarnished: A Gimlet-eyed Look at Life Behind the Bar by Eric Alperin and Deborah Stoll

    Bartender as a Business: Building Agency from Craft by Jason Littrell  [Amazon][Bookshop]

     

     

     

    Botanical Focus and Witchcraft 

    51tX57Rj7nL._SX373_BO1 204 203 200_Garden to Glass: Grow Your Drinks from the Ground Up by Mike Wolf

    Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine by Rosalee de la Forêt and Emily Han 

    WitchCraft Cocktails: 70 Seasonal Drinks Infused with Magic & Ritual by Julia Halina Hadas [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    Potions, Elixirs & Brews: A modern witches' grimoire of drinkable spells by Anais Alexandre  [buy on Bookshop ] [buy on Amazon]

    Blackthorn's Botanical Brews: Herbal Potions, Magical Teas, and Spirited Libations by Amy Blackthorn  [buy on Bookshop ] [buy on Amazon]

     

    Cocktail Books

     

    General/Classic/Historic Cocktail Books

    51eciGNJ9RL._SX363_BO1 204 203 200_Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: Prohibition Centennial Edition: From the 1920 Pick-Me-Up to the Zombie and Beyond – 150+ Rediscovered Recipes … With a New Introduction and 66 New Recipes  by Ted Haigh (Author)

    Drink What You Want: The Subjective Guide to Making Objectively Delicious Cocktails by John deBary 

    Spirited: Cocktails from around the World by Adrienne Stillman [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    The New Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Think Like a Master Mixologist, with 500 Recipes by Dale DeGroff [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    On the House: Over 100 Essential Tips and Recipes for the Home Bartender by Cider Mill Press buy on: [Amazon][Bookshop]

    Classic Cocktails by Brian D. Hoefling  [Amazon][Bookshop]

    Splash: Modern Classic Cocktails by Ivy Mix (Author), Whoo Kid  [Amazon]

    CO Specs: Recipes & Histories of Classic Cocktails by Cas Oh  [Amazon]

     

     

    Themed Cocktail Books

    41s2l11kAVL._SX396_BO1 204 203 200_The Good Reverend's Guide to Infused Spirits: Alchemical Cocktails, Healing Elixirs, and Cleansing Solutions for the Home and Bar by Steven Grasse, Sonia Kurtz, Michael Alan

    Camp Cocktails: Easy, Fun, and Delicious Drinks for the Great Outdoors by Emily Vikre 

    Drinking with Chickens: Free-Range Cocktails for the Happiest Hour by Kate E. Richards

    Easy Tiki: A Modern Revival with 60 Recipes by Chloe Frechette 

    Disco Cube Cocktails: 100+ innovative recipes for artful ice and drinks by Leslie Kirchhoff

    Essential 3-Ingredient Cocktails: 75 Classic And Contemporary Drinks To Make At Home by Amy Traynor 

    Pink Gin: More than 30 pink-hued cocktails  

    Optimistic Cocktails Vol 1 

     Drink What You Want: The Subjective Guide to Making Objectively Delicious Cocktails. 

    Behind the Bar: 50 Cocktail Recipes from the World's Most Iconic Hotels by Alia Akkam [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    Fizz: 80 Joyful Cocktails and Mocktails for Every Occasion by Olly Smith [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    51PEMjShYAL._SX394_BO1 204 203 200_Beautiful Booze: Stylish Cocktails to Make at Home by Natalie Migliarini and James Stevenson [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    The Cocktail Dictionary: An A-Z of cocktail recipes, from Daiquiri and Negroni to Martini and Spritz by Henry Jeffreys [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    Peaky Blinders Cocktail Book: 40 Cocktails Selected by The Shelby Company Ltd by Sandrine Houdre-Gregoire [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    The Shaken and the Stirred: The Year's Work in Cocktail Culture (The Year's Work: Studies in Fan Culture and Cultural Theory)  Edited by Stephen Schneider and Craig N. Owens [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    T𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 by Grade A Fancy Magazine [buy]

    Star Trek Cocktails: A Stellar Compendium by Glenn Dakin  buy on: [Amazon][Bookshop]

    Classy as Fuck Cocktails: 60+ Damn Good Recipes for All Occasions buy on: [Amazon][Bookshop]

    Shake Strain Done: Craft Cocktails at Home by J. M. Hirsch  buy on: [Amazon][Bookshop]

    Tequila & Tacos: A Guide to Spirited Pairings by Katherine Cobbs buy on: [Amazon][Bookshop]

    Queer Cocktails: 50 Cocktail Recipes Celebrating Gay Icons and Queer Culture by Lewis Laney [Bookshop]

    9781925811704Drinks on the Lanai: Cocktails, Mocktails And Cheesecake Inspired By The Golden Girls by Elouise Anders  [Amazon][Bookshop]

    The Aviary: Summer Cocktails [The Aviary]

    Give Me Liberty and Give Me a Drink!: 65 Cocktails to Protest America’s Most Outlandish Alcohol Laws  by C. Jarrett Dieterle 

    Very Merry Cocktails: 50+ Festive Drinks for the Holiday Season by Jessica Strand  [Amazon][Bookshop]

    Winter Drinks: Over 75 recipes to warm the spirits including hot drinks, fortifying toddies, party cocktails and mocktails [Amazon][Bookshop]

    Bar L.M. by Lindsay Matteson [etsy]

    How to Drink Like a Royal by Albert W. A. Schmid  [Amazon][Bookshop]

    Have Yourself a Merry Little Cocktail: 80 Cheerful Tipples to Warm up Winter by Emma Stokes [Amazon][Bookshop]

    Düngeonmeister: 75 Epic RPG Cocktail Recipes to Shake Up Your Campaign by Jef Aldrich, Jon Taylor  [Amazon][Bookshop]

     

     

    Drink Books Tied to Places

    418OG1OJk7L._SX383_BO1 204 203 200_Distilled in Vermont: A History & Guide with Cocktail Recipes by Chris Maggiolo [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    The United States of Cocktails: Recipes, Tales, and Traditions from All 50 States (and the District of Columbia) by Brian Bartels [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    Behind Bars: High Class Cocktails Inspired by Low Life Gangsters by Vincent Pollard [Amazon] [Bookshop]

    Spirits of Latin America: A Celebration of Culture & Cocktails, with 100 Recipes from Leyenda & Beyond by Ivy Mix 

    Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Apéritifs, and Café Traditions of France, with 160 Recipes by David Lebovitz 

    The Pikes Cocktail Book: Rock 'n' roll cocktails from one of the world's most iconic hotels by Dawn Hindle

    41H4HjMTchL._SX336_BO1 204 203 200_Apotheke: Modern Medicinal Cocktails by Christopher Tierney, Erica Brod  [Amazon][Bookshop]

     

     

    Drink-Culture Related Books

    The Book of Ichigo Ichie: The Art of Making the Most of Every Moment, the Japanese Way  by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles

     

     

     

     

     

  • Getting Nerdy About Soju Production: Sticky Rice, Nuruk Fermentation, Multi ABVs, Korean Production

    I received an email from a newish soju brand Tokki Soju with a really interesting story. Given the technical skill of one of the founders, I thought I could get some additional information, and that's just what happened. 

    First, the background:

    The brand was launched in 2016 by Founder Brandon “Bran” Hill and CEO Douglas Park and currently includes two soju offerings in its portfolio: the White Label (23% ABV) and the Black Label (40% ABV). 

    Armed with a BS in Molecular Biology, Tokki Founder Brandon “Bran” Hill moved to South Korea in 2011 to study traditional Korean fermentation and distilling. After receiving a Masters in Korean Traditional Alcohols at Susubori Academy, and having put some time in at a Korean yeast bank, he returned home to become the Head Brewer for Van Brunt Stillhouse in Brooklyn, NY. While at VBS, Bran began distilling soju as a passion project, and by 2016, the first bottles were hitting the shelves of NYC liquor stores.

     

    Unnamed-1

     

    What Is Soju and How is Tokki Different 

    Soju is a Korean distilled spirit that was traditionally made with rice, however during the Korean War, when rice was banned, most soju producers were forced to switch to alternative starches like wheat, sweet potatoes and tapioca. Although the ban was lifted in the 1990’s, many of the best selling brands in Korea still use alternative starches and chemicals to replicate the taste. Tokki Soju is the first American small-batch rice soju. Tokki is made with glutinous (“sticky”) rice, water, yeast and nuruk.

    Soju is not to be confused with other Asian spirits, including Shochu and Sake (both of which hail from Japan), although there are some overlapping similarities to note. For instance, all three are made from rice, however both Soju and Shochu are distilled (while sake is brewed). Shochu and Sake are made with koji (inoculated rice), while Soju is made from rice. Most mass Soju and Shochu brands are distilled from alternative starches, including barley, sweety potatoes, wheat, etc. – but Tokki remains one of the few that uses rice, and again, glutinous rice at that.

    What sets Tokki apart is that it’s the only soju brand on the market that uses glutinous (sticky) rice in the distilling process. They also hand-cultivate their own nuruk starter (a labor-intensive and costly process).

     

    Nuruk for Soju Versus Qu for Baijiu 

    Nuruk is a traditional fermentation starter meant to saccharify the rice – most soju producers do not use the traditional ‘nuruk’ starter due to the intensive labor and costs. Tokki uses hand-cultivated nuruk that takes 2-3 weeks to grow. Tokki is distilled in a copper pot still and only 35% of the run is bottled. As for the sticky rice that Tokki sources, it is all local from Chungju, where the distillery resides, and as a result, will over time have a positive effect on the local agriculture as Tokki becomes the number one purchaser.

    Nuruk in Korean alcohol seems similar to qu for Chinese spirits. I wrote about qu after a visit to China:

    Qu is a combination of mold, yeast, and bacteria. It is used not only for baijiu production but also for undistilled Chinese beverages. 

    • The mold we could say is similar to koji used in sake and shochu production. It helps break the starches in the grains down into fermentable sugars (saccharification). In whiskey, this is accomplished by adding malted barley and/or enzymes to the grains. 
    • The yeast makes alcohol, as it does in other spirits.
    • The bacteria helps in flavor development of the alcohol.

    Unnamed-2Back to nuruk: According to Wikipedia, "Microorganisms present in nuruk include Aspergillus oryzae, Rhizopus oryzae, lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacilli, and yeasts, predominantly Pichia anomala and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Aspergillus provides the enzyme amylase, which saccharifies the rice's starches. The resulting sugars are consumed by the yeasts, producing alcohol, as well as the Lactobacilli, producing lactic acid. Rhizopus provides the enzyme protease and lipase, which break down the protein and fat in the outer layers of the rice grain (endosperm), allowing the amylase access to the starches in the inner part.

    Camper: Can you name any differences in composition/action of nuruk vs qu, and also any production differences if you know? 

    Brandon “Bran” Hill: 

    Yes, traditional nuruk is similar to qu or "big qu" as far as the method of cultivation and how it is used in a fermentation, as a saccharification enzyme. Qu is different than what we personally use, because qu has wild yeast strains and bacteria attached to it. We only want aspergillus oryzae in our nuruk for conversion purposes and consistency. So, in our case, our nuruk is more similar to koji production, except koji is cultivated on whole rice and nuruk uses milled wheat cakes.

    Camper: For other brands that use "alternative starches" and don't use nuruk, do they just add enzymes? (I see on Wikipedia that many/most mass market sojus are distilled to vodka levels then just diluted so probably!)

    Bran:

    The mass produced sojus brands (green bottle soju) do not make their soju. They operate more as bottlers of mass produced neutral spirit (like vodka) that they purchase and then add sweeteners, chemicals, and dilute before bottling. I currently do not know another soju brand that uses traditional nuruk, but not to say they don't exist, but it is rare. Brands who make their soju today, often use Japanese koji in their fermentations.

    Fermentation 

    Korean Fermentations with sticky rice and nuruk purely depend on what you are trying to do with the fermentation. There are no set times for Korean fermentations and many different styles. Lots if variables come into play that will effect what determines the end of the fermentation. For example, the style or method used to start the fermentation process, feeding the culture multiple times, temperature of the fermentation, desired attenuation of the ferment, etc. Our fermentations take about 9 days for what we are trying to accomplish.

    Sticky Rice

    Camper: Sticky rice – from a production standpoint, why sticky rice? Wikipedia says "Glutinous rice is distinguished from other types of rice by having no (or negligible amounts of) amylose, and high amounts of amylopectin (the two components of starch)." and that amylose is "hard to digest" – does this imply that fermentation with nuruk would be much easier with sticky rice than with traditional rice as amylose is harder to break down from starch into fermentable sugars? I'm kind of making a guess here.

    We tested many types of rice and combinations of rice in the beginning of Tokki, when we were deciding on a recipe. We choose to use just sticky rice or more specifically Korean Chap Ssal (잡쌀) for a few reasons. First, we knew wanted to use a Korean variety of rice for our soju. Second, for quality the flavor. Sticky rice is more glutinous and has a much sweeter and rounder flavor and feel that we prefer over other varieties of rice.

    Yes, nuruk does break down the starch and into fermentable sugars to aid the start of the fermentation process. We also pitch yeast after our nuruk is added. It is true that amylose is harder to breakdown than other starch structures, but with our practices, I personally have never had a problem with liquefaction, conversion, or hitting desired attenuation in our fermentations with sticky rice. Also, I would not say that nuruk breaks down sticky rice easier than regular rice varieties in my experience. I have had great results with nuruk applied to both types of rice and haven't personally noticed a big discrepancy favoring one over the other as far as speed and yield of the fermentation goes.

    By "hard to digest" amylose as a resistant starch on the Wikipedia page, I think they are referring to human digestion and not yeast digestion.

    Humans have a problem physically digesting amylose when eating cereal grains because its molecular structure, but when we are mashing we break down the polymer and then distill it. The end soju product does not have the same molecular structure so, doesn't effect human digestion the same way. Also, haven't had any issues with yeast propagation in the fermentations either, but like you said…sticky rice has small amounts of amylose.

    Camper; Also, is there a taste difference between using sticky and traditional rice? If so, how would you describe that difference?

    Yes, as I said above, sticky rice is more glutinous and has a much sweeter fuller flavor that translates to the distillate. We preferred this flavor and thought it was much more versatile for our product when pairing. Most other rice varieties, like Korean Meb Ssal (멥쌀) lack sweetness and are more dry, flat, and less complex when distilled.

    Why These ABVs, and Why Two Versions? 

    Camper: Bottling at two ABVs – In Korea what is the standard ABV (if there is one) – the lower or higher proof? If one or the other is standard (I think the lower proof), why did you decide to release it at two proofs in the US? I've noticed that some shochu brands have started doing this, I think to appeal to the bartender/mixology set.

    Traditional soju in the past was consumed a high abv, usually whatever it came off the still at or slightly diluted to taste. The lower abv soju trend came during war times in Korea. To make sure there was enough soju to go around to all the soldiers, they would diluted it in half to double the quantity. The trend of low abv sojus held after the war and never really went back to the high abv style, at least not for the mass market.

    There is no regulation or standard for soju abvs that you have to adhere to in Korea. You are free to release it at what expression you feel is best. Green bottle sojus have been declining in abv every year. Currently, most of the mass produced brands of soju have abv percentages that are in the teens.

    We decided to release at two different abvs. The lower abv (Tokki White) at 23%, which also comes in a smaller 375ml bottle is more for the current trend of drinking with friends paired with food. The higher abv (Tokki Black) at 40%, comes in a 750ml bottle and is more of a nod to the old style sojus and more versatile. It is great for cocktails or just by itself.

    Moving the Distillery to Korea

    In recent news, Tokki Soju just moved their distillery from Brooklyn, New York, to Chungju, Korea. They also have plans to open a tasting room later this year, as well as their flagship bar in 2021. Tokki is launching a gin and a vodka brand this summer, making them the first to distill Western spirits in South Korea. A rum brand is also planned for 2021. 

    This will be a game-changer for cocktail bars in Korea, saving them on high import costs by giving them a local option.

    The gin, Sonbi, will be distilled using citrus, flowers, and spices all native to Korea; only the juniper will be imported.

    Camper: The decision to move the operation to Korea is a unique choice. What was the reason? I'm wondering if there were business reasons/incentives (such as the ability to be the first gin/vodka as a branding move, or government tax breaks or something), versus personal/relationship ones? I see it was mentioned "since all non-Korean spirits are currently imported at extremely high tax rates" that could be a factor if you're betting on sales in Korea.

    There we many factors that went it to the move to Korea. First, you are correct, Korean importation taxes are very high on alcohol. We had an overwhelming fan base in Korea of people who wanted our products, but we were not able to come to market at a reasonable price exporting to Korea from New York. By not being able to offer a competitive price point exporting, we felt we would eliminate many demographics and send the wrong message about our mission.

    Two, we thought if we were going to elevate the Korean spirits category we should start at the source and and produce in Korea. Three, the soju market is much larger here in Korea than the US and gives us more opportunities to grow.

    Camper: Distilling – copper pot still in the US – pot with a column on top or just a pot still?

    We have a hybrid still. We can run it as a pot and as a column. We do a two phase distillation in our process where we use both styles for our soju. First, is the pot stripping run and then cleaned up and finished with the column spirit run.

    Camper: Did you move the still itself to Korea or get a new one?

    We got a brand new still. We are using a much larger system now compared to our Brooklyn operation days. It is double the capacity of our old still.(1500 liters)

    Camper: Assuming the soju will be made the same in the new distillery (it's a new distillery right?), did you get a new still for the vodka/gin – maybe not as I see the vodka base is rice plus GNS – are you planning to do self-distilled rice spirit plus GNS for the vodka? And for the gin is it just GNS or rice spirit in there too? 

    Yes, we have a new facility.

    We did need a hybrid still to continue our same soju recipe, but it is great for a wide range of spirits. Our gin and vodka recipes are not finalized yet. We are in the trial and testing phases for both and looking forward to locking them down this year.

    I can tell you that our vodka will be made with local sticky rice as well and our gin will most likely not contain rice, but will consist of botanicals unique to Korea that I have not seen in a gin before, like kul (귤) for example, which is a variety of Mandarin orange grown on the Korean island of Jeju.

     

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