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Will HiteJinro’s new low-alcohol soju harm the drink’s ‘cultural identity’?
The new HiteJinro 16.9% distilled soju has turned heads in South Korea, but not necessarily for the right reasons. The post Will HiteJinro’s new low-alcohol soju harm the drink’s ‘cultural identity’? appeared first on The Drinks Business.
The new HiteJinro 16.9% distilled soju has turned heads in South Korea, but not necessarily for the right reasons.
South Korea's leading soju maker has released its latest expression, an IlpumJinro soju distilled at 16.9%.
This is the lowest-ABV soju ever produced by the multinational, whose production accounts for more than half of domestic soju sales. Most traditional distilled soju products range from 40% to 53%, similar to that of whisky.
Indeed, HiteJinro has become the first major beverage manufacturer to break the 17% ABV barrier for soju, a lower limit maintained by Hwayo's 17% soju Hwayo 17.
The Korean multinational has said it has introduced the new 16.9% distilled soju in response to consumer demand.
Oh Seong-taek, executive director of HiteJinro's marketing department, said: "We are conducting research and development to introduce products that meet consumer demands as a representative comprehensive liquor company in Korea." Oh added that the company planned to "bring a new wind to the distilled soju market with the entry of the 16% class".
The company must adapt to challenges faced across global markets. The Korean soju market as a whole is expected to report stagnant sales over a five year period (2022-2027). According to the 2023 Brand Champions report produced by the spirits business, Jinro soju saw a 3.5% dip in volumes to fewer than 100m cases in 2023 after surpassing the milestone for the first time the previous year.
However, sales of the IlpumJinro brand are bucking the negative trend; sales of products in this range increased by 26% in 2024 compared to the same period in the previous year, according to reporting by ChosunBiz.
Smaller soju makers in South Korea are already tapping into demand for lower-alcohol products with diluted sojus, made by watering down the spirit. These can have an ABV as low as 14.9%, but HiteJinro's 16.9% expression is the first time a soju has been distilled at such a low ABV.
HiteJinro is now facing backlash from industry representatives wary that the company's new product could dilute soju's image. As the national drink of South Korea, critics argue that its cultural identity could become compromised.
A representative of the Korea Alcohol Comprehensive Research Institute stressed the importance of a higher ABV in defining authentic soju. "While manufacturing techniques such as distillation and ageing processes are advancing, it's important to remember that the category of distilled soju fundamentally belongs to the realm of traditional liquors with high impacts, defined as above 25%," they said.
A representative from the Korea Beverage Masters Association compared soju to Scotch, saying that "just as a 16% beverage is not called Scotch whisky in Scotland, the originally 40-53% distilled soju is fundamentally different in character and main characteristics from 17% distilled soju".
They added that drinks distilled at such low ABVs could "harm the cultural identity of distilled soju", a drink synonymous with South Korean tradition.
South Korea's leading soju maker has released its latest expression, an IlpumJinro soju distilled at 16.9%.
This is the lowest-ABV soju ever produced by the multinational, whose production accounts for more than half of domestic soju sales. Most traditional distilled soju products range from 40% to 53%, similar to that of whisky.
Indeed, HiteJinro has become the first major beverage manufacturer to break the 17% ABV barrier for soju, a lower limit maintained by Hwayo's 17% soju Hwayo 17.
The Korean multinational has said it has introduced the new 16.9% distilled soju in response to consumer demand.
Oh Seong-taek, executive director of HiteJinro's marketing department, said: "We are conducting research and development to introduce products that meet consumer demands as a representative comprehensive liquor company in Korea." Oh added that the company planned to "bring a new wind to the distilled soju market with the entry of the 16% class".
The company must adapt to challenges faced across global markets. The Korean soju market as a whole is expected to report stagnant sales over a five year period (2022-2027). According to the 2023 Brand Champions report produced by the spirits business, Jinro soju saw a 3.5% dip in volumes to fewer than 100m cases in 2023 after surpassing the milestone for the first time the previous year.
However, sales of the IlpumJinro brand are bucking the negative trend; sales of products in this range increased by 26% in 2024 compared to the same period in the previous year, according to reporting by ChosunBiz.
Smaller soju makers in South Korea are already tapping into demand for lower-alcohol products with diluted sojus, made by watering down the spirit. These can have an ABV as low as 14.9%, but HiteJinro's 16.9% expression is the first time a soju has been distilled at such a low ABV.
HiteJinro is now facing backlash from industry representatives wary that the company's new product could dilute soju's image. As the national drink of South Korea, critics argue that its cultural identity could become compromised.
A representative of the Korea Alcohol Comprehensive Research Institute stressed the importance of a higher ABV in defining authentic soju. "While manufacturing techniques such as distillation and ageing processes are advancing, it's important to remember that the category of distilled soju fundamentally belongs to the realm of traditional liquors with high impacts, defined as above 25%," they said.
A representative from the Korea Beverage Masters Association compared soju to Scotch, saying that "just as a 16% beverage is not called Scotch whisky in Scotland, the originally 40-53% distilled soju is fundamentally different in character and main characteristics from 17% distilled soju".
They added that drinks distilled at such low ABVs could "harm the cultural identity of distilled soju", a drink synonymous with South Korean tradition. 
