One Win Away from Korean Series Victory after 29 Years
Focus on Japanese 'Awamori Soju' Endorsed by Late Chairman Koo Bon-moo
With the LG Twins just one win away from their first Korean Series championship in 29 years, interest is growing in Awamori soju, a traditional Japanese Okinawan liquor that will be used for the championship celebration.
The connection between the LG Twins and Awamori soju dates back to 1994, when the Twins last won the Korean Series. Awamori soju was a gift prepared in advance by the late Koo Bon-moo, former chairman of LG Group who passed away in 2018, to celebrate the baseball team’s victory. It was shared among the Twins players and staff at the championship celebration in 1994.
At the time, Chairman Koo said, “If we win again next year, let’s toast with this liquor once more.” Indeed, after visiting the spring training site the following year, he bought three barrels of the soju. It was meant to symbolize a desire to recreate the glory. However, as nearly 30 years passed without another championship, the soju stored in the team office was moved in 2014 to the feed room built during the construction of LG Champions Park in Icheon.
Awamori soju is a distilled liquor made by blending Thai rice called Khao Hom Mali, Okinawan black koji mold, yeast, and water. Its alcohol content ranges between 15 and 40 percent and it is usually diluted with water before drinking. Since Okinawa’s limestone terrain is unsuitable for rice paddies, Thai Khao Hom Mali rice is mainly imported and used, along with black koji mold containing black mold spores. Like other distilled liquors, the taste and aroma of Awamori vary depending on the aging period, with longer aging increasing its value. Typically, only the base liquor aged for more than three years is commercialized as “Kusu (古酒),” and the LG Twins’ Awamori soju is exactly this Kusu.
There were rumors that the soju had completely evaporated during the long championship drought. Distilled liquors lose a certain amount each year due to evaporation, and with nearly 30 years of storage, a significant amount of the liquor inevitably evaporated. However, the “championship celebration liquor” has not entirely disappeared. According to LG Twins team officials, although the quantity has greatly diminished, the three barrels from a few years ago were consolidated into one, and about one-quarter of it remains.
With only one win left to confirm the remaining quantity of Awamori soju, Game 5 of the Korean Series will be held on the 13th at the LG Twins’ home stadium, Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
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