Awards·Festival

Korean Sool Events Where Diversity Shines

If you are a Korean sool drinker ready to go beyond the world of industrial soju and makgeolli, the first question may be where to start. Or, if you just want to find a bottle of traditional Korean liquor for a specific occasion, as a gift, or for your personal enjoyment, you may realize that not so many liquor stores offer a wide range of selections. Whether it is the lack of information or physical access, taking the first step is never easy.

So, what do you do Fortunately, there are some events you can go to for guidance. They will show you things you need to know for the first steps of your sool journey. You will find useful information, experience programs, food pairing opportunities, and so much more.

Korean Sool Grand Festival

If you are looking for a place to meet as many sool brands as possible, the Korean Sool Grand Festival is the venue. It is the biggest event of this kind in Korea, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and organized by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT). The intention is to support local breweries, promote the value and excellence of traditional alcoholic beverages, and showcase numerous products available in the market to the general public.

The annual festival happens in the fall and is usually a three-day on-site event. Korean sool producers from all across the country get together for the occasion. At the festival, you can find hands-on experience programs including sool making and tasting. There are also guided tours on sool history and styles, Korean cuisine for different alcohol types, and many other programs.

Local breweries present their sool brands here, and it is a rare and remarkable opportunity to meet the vast offering the Korean sool industry has in one place. If you are enthusiastic about finding out more about various sool products, this will definitely be the place for you.

In 2020, due to the pandemic, the festival took place for an extended seven-day period in a virtual environment. During the seven days, over 200 traditional sool products were introduced through the festival platform. While program details differ each year, the festival always presents the diversity of Korean sool, deepening the knowledge and promoting healthy drinking culture for the general public.

Korean Sool Award

The Korean Sool Competition is the most prestigious national awards for traditional liquors and wines. Once again, the MAFRA and the aT are the host and the organizer, respectively. Their goal is to motivate Korean sool breweries and help them enhance their product quality and market competitiveness.

There are five categories in the Award: cloudy rice wine (takju), clear rice wine (yakju & cheongju), distilled liquor (jeungryuju—soju & others), fruit wine (gwasilju), and other liquors. Panels do sensory evaluation and review candidates based on the selection criteria before they decide finalists. They give out three awards for each category based on the review results. Among all the finalists, the best performer will get the grand-prix (Presidential Award), considering various elements such as the brewery’s quality control, manufacturing facilities, and sustainability.

Although it is a award for sool makers, you can benefit from it as a consumer. Technicality aside, the list of finalists is worth noticing because each award is proof of excellence. In the year 2020, 15 brands were selected out of 246 submissions. That is why you can use the list to decide what you will spend your time and money on.

With the recent popularity of authentic Korean sool, the events for traditional liquors and wines seem to be growing. The two mentioned above are probably the most prominent and visible, but you can start anywhere. Any event can be useful to help you navigate a long and winding path in the sool world.

So, keep your eyes and ears open, and make your taste buds work. Sniff, sip, and scribble notes whenever and wherever you can. Whether you want it to pair with some food, give to someone important, or drink with friends (or by yourself), experiencing one of these events will help you find the best match for your purpose.