South Korean Distillery Revives Wheat Soju

A rural distillery in Andong, South Korea, is trying to bring back a drink that nearly disappeared for centuries: wheat-based soju, once made for nobles and royalty and now being positioned as a premium spirit for export markets.

Sungho Park, the founder of Jinmaek Soju, has turned a farm in Menge Valley, about three hours from Seoul, into a production site that includes grain fields, a solar array, a visitor center and homestays. Park said he left the technology business after selling his IT company in 2007 and later shifted the land into an organic farm before deciding to revive the old soju tradition. He said the move was also personal. With two young children at the time, he wanted a different life than the one he had built around meetings and work.

Wheat-based soju dates to 1540, according to the company’s account, but it largely vanished after changes in alcohol rules and production methods during Japan’s occupation of Korea. Today, most premium Korean soju is distilled from rice. Jinmaek Soju says it is the only commercial soju in Korea made exclusively from organic wheat.

When the brand launched in 2018, it produced about 5,000 bottles a year. By 2024, Park said annual output had risen to 30,000 bottles. The company also expanded into oak barrel-aged soju in 2022, using first-fill bourbon and sherry barrels for at least three years. The aged versions are part of a broader effort to move soju away from its mass-market image and into the premium spirits category.

That market remains dominated by inexpensive green-bottle soju, which Park said sells for less than $2 a bottle and holds about 98% of market share in South Korea. Jinmaek’s bottles sell for about $395 each, placing them far outside the everyday drinking segment that is closely tied to fried chicken restaurants and casual meals across the country.

Park has focused on overseas buyers to build demand. In 2024, he began exporting 10% of production to bottle shops and high-end restaurants in the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and Europe. In Hong Kong, Jinmaek Soju is served at Hansik Goo, a Michelin one-star restaurant. Park also travels internationally to lead master classes and introduce consumers and trade buyers to wheat soju.

He said global recognition could help change perceptions at home as well. “Korean soju is undervalued,” he said. “I think the value of premium soju is as meaningful as its history.” Park said he expects production to grow tenfold by 2029 as new facilities come online.

The strategy reflects a broader push in spirits toward heritage products with clear origin stories and higher margins. Park said Korea does not yet have a strong cocktail culture and that many drinkers still consume spirits with food rather than through formal pairing traditions. He believes that premium soju can gain ground if consumers begin to see it less as a cheap shot drink and more as a category with depth, craftsmanship and regional identity.