Hwayo 25 Soju (화요 25º)

Every review up until this point has been a whisky review, but I thought for today's review I'd try something a bit different and review something from to the country I live in. It can't be whisky as there are currently no native whisky brands in South Korea, though there will finally be a Korean single malt by 2023 (see here, or check out my twitter feed for more info!), therefore I decided to give reviewing the national alcohol, soju, a spin! Soju is a clear distilled alcohol that can be made from practically anything. Traditionally rice and then later sweet potato were used and it is made in a similar manner to the native distilled spirits of China, historical Ryuku (Okinawa) and Japan, by using a type of mold as a fermentation starter instead of malt to break down the starches in the raw material. In Korean they call the mold used 'Nuruk".

Modern day mass market soju is extraordinarily cheap and can be bought for around a dollar a bottle, but it also has a reputation for being extremely harsh and bitter, despite its paltry sub 20% ABV. In a way, it is a bit like weak, bottom shelf grade vodka. There was and still is quality soju being produced the traditional way in the small town of Andong on the south east of the Korean peninsula, but their distribution channels are lacking.

In response to the perceived weakness of modern soju, a few companies decided to open up new soju distilleries to try and bring the traditional way of doing things into the modern era. To recreate the flavours of old and "Make Soju Great Again" If you will. The guys behind Hwayo were one of those companies with their fingers on the pulse, sensing that modern drinkers wanted something more out of their soju than their parents generation. They released a series of rice sojus ranging from a friendly 17% that competes with standard mass market soju, all the way up to a stunningly powerful 53% that's crafted to compete with Chinese baijiu. They even have an oak aged 41% soju which looks interesting, but is on the expensive side of things. the 25% release is their middle ground one and therefore I thought that would be a good one to start with (and being half the price of the next grade up maaaaaay have influenced me too). So what are we working with here?

Vitals:

ABV: 25%

Colour: Clear

Nose: Sweet glutenous rice with a touch of soured milk greet the nostrils, before opening up into a bouquet of flowers. There is an ever so slight hint of cardamom hiding behind the flowers. Very reminiscent of junmai sake.

Palate: Predominantly bubblegum at first with parsley, mint and other garden herbs slowly taking over. It lacks the notorious harsh burn of cheap soju, but feels thin and watery.

Finish: Medium length and earthy, with herbal notes.

Conclusion:

Well, this is quite possibly the smoothest and most flavorful soju I have ever tried. Mass market sojus in Korea tend to have an awful throat burn despite only being mildly more alcoholic than sake or wine. Even the act of trying to sip one of those instantly recognisable green bottles of self loathing is an act of masochistic torture that leaves one questioning all life choices up until that point!

The Hwayo 25% on the other hand is pure pleasure. There is no burn. There is no pain. Only the joy of drinking quality alcohol at a pace that allows you to parse out all the different notes within.

I did mention that it was thin and watery on the palate, but as it's only 25% alcohol and my only frame of reference is spirits in the 40%+ range, I'm going to put that down to the low alcohol content. I'm very interested in trying the Hwayo 41% in the future to see how that holds up.

한국어 시음평:

향: 찹쌀, 사워밀크 → 꽃, 카다몬.

맛: 버블껌 → 파슬리, 민트, 허브.

끝맛: 흙, 허브. 피니시가 중간 길이에요.

결론: 매우 부드럽고 마시기가 쉬워요.

Review by Glasgowhisky

2020/11/10