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Makgeolli is a fermented rice alcohol that is milky in appearance, and has a diverse flavour profile ranging from sweet to sour and even dry. Makgeolli is often diluted from its original state, so the alcohol content of makgeolli can range from 4% to 10%. Higher alcohol content makgeolli are more often referred to as ‘Takju’ which means ‘Cloudy alcohol’. Although they are very similar, we generally use the term ‘makgeolli’ to mean diluted and lower strength and ‘Takju’ to be a stronger and more complex brew more often at 10% to 19%.

After the the brewing process and during aging, the milky part of the sool will settle to the bottom of the tanks and a golden-clear layer alcohol will appear. This is a category of sool known as ‘Cheongju’ or ‘Yakju’ depending on what kind of ingredients were used in the brewing process. Cheongju and Yakju are fragrant, complex and considered a higher quality category of sool. This kind of sool can be enjoyed like wine and has a lot of food pairing potential in many cuisines.

Traditionally, high quality soju is distilled from the ‘Cheongju’ or ‘Yakju’. The word ‘Soju’ means ‘Burned Liquor’ and has a wide range of diversity over the regions of Korea. There are two categories of soju, ‘Table Strength’ soju and ‘Spirit Strength’ soju. Table strength is usually at an alcohol content of 16% to 25% and is enjoyed straight and with food. Spirit strength soju is stronger in ABV% and can be compared to white spirits such as vodka, shochu and jenever.