Korean Soju Advertisement Collection

Soju (Hangul 소주; Hanja 燒酒) is a distilled beverage native to Korea. Jinro and Lotte soju are the first and third top selling alcohol brands in the world.^[1] Its taste is comparable to vodka, though often slightly sweeter due to sugars added in the manufacturing process. It is usually consumed neat.

Most brands of soju are made in South Korea. It is traditionally made from rice, wheat, barley, but modern producers of soju use supplements or even replace rice with other starches, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, or tapioca.

Soju is clear and colorless. Its alcohol content varies from about 16.7%, to about 45% alcohol by volume (ABV) for traditional Andong soju,^[2] with 20% ABV being most common. However, by usingfreeze distillation,^[3] ABV can be increased to desired percentage. There are two different ways to produce Soju; Classic way of distilled Soju that use single distillation method and modern way of dilutedSoju that use chain distillation method.^[4] Distilled Soju usually have higher ABV of 30~35% than diluted Soju with ABV of 21~30%. As distilled Soju tend to have higher ABV, it has stronger smell than diluted Soju. It is widely consumed, in part, because of its relatively low price in Korea. A typical 375mL bottle of soju costs the consumer 1,000 to 3,000 South Korean Won in South Korea (roughly $1 to $3 Canada Dollars). In Canada, it costs substantially more – $5.50 ~ $6.25 (depends on brand) ^[5] as tariff and profitability add onto its original cost price. Now Soju is exporting to 80 countries and in top market share of diluted alcohol market.

Source: Wikipedia