Searching for Wonsoju Spirit... 'GS25 Run' from Dawn [Im Chunhan's Convenience Store Adventure]

The Second Distilled Soju by One Spirits
Outstanding Nuruk Aroma and Clean Finish
Premium Soju Popular... Tokki Soju and Others Hard to Find

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] "Wonsoju? Since orders are placed on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the stock arrives on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. It comes in around 2 a.m. tomorrow. If it arrives then, it should be available."

Recently, I went on a preliminary convenience store scouting mission to purchase the highly sought-after 'Wonsoju Spirit.' I obtained information that it arrives at the nearby GS25 around 2 a.m. the next day. With the determination to enjoy sashimi and Wonsoju Spirit while looking at the East Sea during this summer vacation, I embarked on a 'convenience store run' and managed to get a bottle. Wonsoju Spirit is the second distilled soju product launched by Once Spirits, a liquor manufacturing company founded by singer Jay Park, following Wonsoju. The price is 12,900 KRW, and the alcohol content is 24%.

Wonsoju Spirit can be enjoyed in various ways according to preference, such as straight, on the rocks, or as a highball. Normally, I dislike strong alcohol scents and rarely drink soju itself, but I tried a glass at room temperature first. The first thought after drinking was, 'This is pretty good.' Unlike diluted soju like Chamisul or Chum-Churum, it had a sweet nuruk (fermentation starter) aroma and a clean finish.

I put ice in a glass to make it on the rocks. Drinking it cold felt much cleaner than before. For the highball, I mixed Wonsoju Spirit and tonic water in ratios of 1:1 and 1:2. The 1:1 ratio blended the aroma of Wonsoju with the tonic water nicely, resulting in a good taste. As a reporter who claims to be the weakest drinker in the company, I was very satisfied with this combination. The 1:2 ratio was dominated by the taste of tonic water, overpowering the flavor and aroma of Wonsoju Spirit, making it more like a beverage than alcohol, which I did not prefer.

Models are introducing Wonsoju Spirit at the convenience store GS25.

Premium (distilled) soju is popular in convenience stores. In fact, at GS25, premium soju sales increased by 961.5% from the 1st to the 17th of this month compared to the previous year. During the same period, CU saw a 43.2% increase, and Seven Eleven saw a 170% increase. I wanted to compare Wonsoju Spirit with other premium sojus. So, I purchased Tokki Soju White, which started offline sales at CU and Seven Eleven. Since there was no stock at nearby convenience stores, I used the app’s product search feature to find stores selling it and finally managed to buy one.

I also tried a glass of Tokki Soju at room temperature. It had a different, subtle vanilla and herbal aroma compared to Wonsoju Spirit. When drunk on the rocks, it tasted cleaner, and for the highball, the 1:1 ratio was the golden ratio rather than 1:2. Tokki Soju was first created in 2011 by Brandon Hill, who was inspired by traditional Korean breweries and, after returning to Korea, made it at a distillery in New York. The product was introduced mainly at upscale Korean restaurants in New York and began gaining popularity through the Korean community and social media. Tokki Soju comes in two types: White (23%) and Black (40%), priced at 24,000 KRW and 36,000 KRW, respectively.