Soju is Korea’s representative liquor, it includes “diluted soju” and “distilled soju”.
One ingredient of diluted soju is ‘95% high-purity ethanol’ (called neutral spirits), obtained by fermenting tapioca, potatoes, and other grains, and distilling them continuously (over 200 times) in a huge tank. Diluted soju is made by adding water, synthetic sweeteners, and food additives to this 95% ethanol because the original flavor of the raw grain material is lost upon distilling into 95% high-purity alcohol.
‘Green bottle’ soju is a diluted soju, which has been in an established, unrivaled position at affordable prices in restaurants and at retail in Korea. There are many brands of diluted soju, but only the label is different, and the manufacturing method and main ingredients are very similar. It doesn’t please us that green bottle soju, diluted with water in 95% ethanol, is the representative liquor in Korea.
On the other hand, “distilled soju” has a traditional distillation method, using 100% rice or barley. Distillation is done only once, using a single distiller, so the original flavor of the raw material is retained, with an alcohol concentration of about 45%. So, selection of raw materials with good quality is an important factor for premium grade, and it is often aged for more than 6 months in order to produce a good scent and soft taste.
However, the problem with traditional distilled soju is the high price due to small quantity production. For example, green bottle soju is sold for 4,000 won at HORECA in Korea, but premium traditional soju is sold for 30,000 won, more than seven times the price of green bottle soju.
We figured that the problem was the lack of quality products at mid-range prices. We aim to create and supply products that can satisfy the demand for both premium grade and quality mid-priced products. Thus, “Crystal Wine” was born.