90 Years of Soju
March 25th, 2009 · Economy and Worklife · 14 comments
The Financial News took a look back recently at the evolution of soju since 1920.
The amount of alcohol in soju, the citizens’ alcohol, fell by nearly half over the past 90-plus years.
The soju made for domestic sale was 35% alcohol in 1920, but on the 19th Jinro renewed its J brand with 18.5% alcohol, initiating the 18% era.
In 1920, during the Japanese colonial period, there were over 3,200 soju breweries throughout the nation, and most soju was distilled and had a 35% alcohol content. After 1965 diluted soju with a 30% alcohol content appeared, and the decline in alcohol content began.
Soju was not then the citizens’ alcohol, as it is today. In 1965, when Jinro first introduced diluted soju, makgeolli dominated the domestic alcohol market.
The domination of that market by soju began in 1973, when Jinro introduced a soju with a 25% alcohol content.
As soju, the “strong drink” that appeared on ordinary people’s tables amidst rapid economic growth and stress, became fixed in people’s minds as being always 25% alcohol, and it became the citizens’ alcohol. 25 years passed under the “soju=25%” mindset.
The business world’s unwritten law that “soju=25%” came crashing down in October of ’98. Jinro released Chamisul with 23% alcohol. That naturally played a role in the race towards lower alcohol content, currently at 18%.
In 2002 22% Chamisul was released, followed in 2006 by 20.1% Chamiseul.
In 2006 Jinro released Chamisul Fresh with an alcohol content of 19.8%, opening the era of alcohol content in the 10s.
Then in 2007 Chamisul Fresh (19.5%) and Lotte’s soft Chumchurum (19.5) each knocked off another 0.3%.
Provincial soju companies have also followed this lower-alcohol trend, with Cham Special (19.5%), Siwon (19.8%), Hite (19.9%), Ipseju (19.5%), and Hallasan (19.8%) all joining in.
Into this soju market Jinro released J, knocking off another 1% to reach 18.5% alcohol, firing another shot in the soft soju war.
These new sojus are seeing increased demand among women, and as soju companies reduce the amount of costly alcohol they save hundreds of millions of won in production costs, making it likely that low-alcohol soju will continue.
It appears companies will go no lower than 17%.
One business representative said, “if you go under 17% you blur the boundary with low-alcohol drinks. Because you gain the ability to have TV ads at less than 17%, you could be promoting drinking cultures and exposing teenagers to it, so the authorities may stop you.”
In the soft soju era all eyes are on the continuing increase in consumption of soju.
In 2002, when soju was at 22.0%, consumption was 840,000 kiloliters, but in 2006, when levels fell to 20%, 950,000 kiloliters were consumed, and in 2007 that increased to 960,000 as levels fell to 19%, an apparent trend.
Accordingly, as alcohol levels in soju continue to fall it is shedding its image as a stiff drink, and women can enjoy it worry-free as it changes into a soft alcohol.
Last November the “Asian consumer intelligence” site Five by Fifty looked at the launch of J and put together a neat graphic of the evolution of the Chamisul brand. The Grand Narrative is, of course, the go-to place for soju ad blogging.
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14 comments
damn, even C1 is watering down? hopefully the uncertainty of the financial crisis will lead them to start reintroducing ‘hard’ soju. some good must come out of this.
chris · March 25th, 2009 at 7:49 AM
regardless of what level of alcohol they artificially add to it, Soju will always taste like ddong!
merk · March 25th, 2009 at 10:42 AM
Sound like its time for a blind tasting challenge – first contestant – Merk.
Arghaeri · March 25th, 2009 at 12:03 PM
So all in all about the same amount of actual alcohol consumed from 2002 – 2007 just you had to buy more bottles to achieve it.
Arghaeri · March 25th, 2009 at 12:06 PM
“In 1920, during the…..most soju was distilled…”
I have always thought that soju is produced in factories by just adding raw ethanol to flavoured water but have never found this written in black and white. The above quote hints at my suspicion but the article does not spell it out.
I don’t drink the stuff as I believe it is this process that gives me such vile hangovers (that I only get in Korea, even on beer alone, despite drinking more back home)Can anybody shed any light on the matter? Surely if the process is this silly method, then it should have been discussed in the article asides from changes in alcohol content.
flug · March 25th, 2009 at 12:58 PM
I believe the manufactured stuff is referred to in the article as “diluted soju”, as opposed to “distilled soju”.
Korea Beat · March 25th, 2009 at 12:59 PM
I think Chumchurum is one of the most hilarious anglicizations I’ve ever seen.
Keep up the good work.
Joe · March 25th, 2009 at 2:12 PM
Call it a hobby…
Soju.
Personally, 막걸리 is my drink of choice (although I can never spell it correctly).
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Clever Turtles · March 25th, 2009 at 2:22 PM
From 1965 until 1991, in order to alleviate rice shortages, the Korean government prohibited the traditional direct distillation of soju from fermented grain. Instead, highly distilled ethanol from any source was mixed with water and flavorings to create diluted soju. Although the prohibition has now been lifted, cheap soju continues to be made this way. The Korean government regulates the alcohol content of diluted soju to less than 35% (wikipedia).
I know you can still buy soju made from rice and it’s suppose to be a lot better but i’ve never tried it…it’s also more than 900won a bottle.
These days it’s still made cheap because all companies like to make money and people will drink it anyways…sugars are also added when it’s made which i’m sure doesn’t help the hangover…”made from any source” that’s scary..potatoes, rice, sweet potato..anything you can get ethanol from…
When’s the non-alcoholic soju coming out? I wonder what they would make that out off….
Also, I agree with Joe…”Chumchurum” is a gold anglicizations….it’s also my favorite soju.
Jebeezers · March 25th, 2009 at 4:37 PM
the chumchurum premium stuff in the square bottle, despite being only a few hundred won extra, is much easier to drink than the rest. that’s my wisdom for the day.
cmm · March 26th, 2009 at 8:17 AM
I like Hallasan best, but to really put hair on your chest you should pick up some 80-proof Andong Soju.
Korea Beat · March 26th, 2009 at 9:21 AM
[…] Beat translated a local feature article on the 90 years of Soju evolution. Cancel this […]
Global Voices Online » South Korea: Soju History · March 26th, 2009 at 1:33 PM
Andong soju is 90, not 80 proof (or at least the minsokju version is . . . there’s some lighter mass market versions now floating around)!
fatmanseoul · April 2nd, 2009 at 3:31 PM
[…] has been around for a while and there’s no sign of it stopping – however it is getting weaker in alcohol content as the years pass. Soju is typically drunk at such company diners but certainly other spirits are involved, too. […]
The KoreanClass101.com Blog · April 21st, 2009 at 5:39 AM