Ilpoom Andong Soju — The REAL Stuff
You think you know soju?
I thought I knew soju. It’s cheap enough in Korea to become easily acquaintable. I can only drink it when I’m in the mood for it. I recently did some more research on soju for an article I wrote for SEOUL Magazine, and I became simultaneously repulsed and intrigued.
What repulsed me was that most cheap commercial soju — the stuff people usually drink — is not distilled. It’s pure grain alcohol mixed with flavorings and watered down. That explains the hangover factor.
Yet the real distilled stuff is more expensive and not as widely available. Most of it comes from the little city of Andong.
I perused the liquor section at my local E-Mart, and I saw this bottle of Ilpoom brand Andong soju for around 7,000 won ($7), compared to a bottle of regular soju, which runs for 1,000 won ($1). Also, the Andong soju is 45% alcohol whereas regular soju is around 20-35% alcohol.
I heard that Andong soju has a kick. As a result, it sat in the refrigerator for a while, waiting for that special occasion when I would have the inkling for a stiff drink.
That inkling occurred last weekend. I opened it and poured it into a traditional soju glass (not a shot glass). The aroma was flowery and clean.
I took a sip.
My goodness. It’s not that bad.
The taste was clean and complex. It was a little sweet — not sugary sweet — like a mild fruit with a buttery finish. It had more similarities to sake than it did to green bottle soju. It was a lot stronger than sake, and I think it would also be useful in cooking.
Now that I’m learning to like the real stuff, I’m gonna have to take a trip to Andong to try it straight from the source.
I can’t imagine doing this. I loved kimbap a lot as a kid, my mom only made it when we took a road trip, so it was a treat to have it. I’ll probably give my daughter the same regular old kimbap that my mom made for me, when my daughter is old enough to have it.