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When most people think of soju, they think of the cheap green bottles that taste like watered down vodka. Mainstream green bottle soju dominates the market, and that’s a shame. It’s a bastardization of what soju originally was. There is a lot more when you look back at the history of soju itself which came about in Korea in the 14th century after the Mongol Invasion brought distilling techniques from the Middle East to the country. For centuries it was made from grains, primarily rice or millet, and fermented in a unique way using nuruk as the starter. Nuruk comes from wheat, rice, or barley that has been moistened, made into a cake, and hung to ferment for a few weeks….

Soju is one of the most consumed beverages in the world today, especially in South Korea. In 2017, Koreans drank 3.6 billion bottles. That’s 86 bottles per adult in one year, or two shots a day. Yet soju was not always the most popular drink in Korea. The history of soju follows the history of Korea itself. Soju is a distilled Korean liquor that has a fascinating history dating back to the Three Kingdoms period. The Korean peninsula has had a long standing tradition of making alcohol – longer than there has been a Korea. Get ready to explore the rich culture behind one of Korea’s most beloved drinks and learn the history of soju. How it all began Originally, Korean…