Korean Job Discussion Forums

[DanseurVertical]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dch%C5%AB

I recently tried some of this in Japan. Although Korean soju is commonly exported, I have never found shochu outside Japan (not sure why)

At convenience stores in Japan, one can buy cheap varieties that are bottled in plastic. But per unit alcohol, the price is still higher than a bottle of mainstream soju in Korea. I wasn't interested in the cheap stuff, so some guys and I at the hostel visited the local wine & spirits store and easily found a high quality shochu. The price was equivalent to about 10,000 won for 300ml, and its strength is 25%. It was among the more expensive we could find, and the quality was very high. Smooth taste, pleasant flavor.

I've only had a few somewhat expensive Korean soju varieties, but this was still much better. Made me wonder, why are Korean people so loyal to 2 brands that produce a very cheap, rather low quality product? And, why do liquor stores in Korea (for the most part) not stock any (higher quality) soju?

I get the sense that both Korean and Japanese people value high quality in the things they consume, and they are often willing to pay for it. But in Korea, high quality domestic alcohol is very hard to find and usually only available at a big supermarket like E-Mart.

Any thoughts of why there is this apparent contradiction?

[fezmond]

Shochu is <swear edit> horrible. That is all I have to say on the matter. (I hate soju to a lesser extent).

[yodanole]

1) You can buy Jinro Soju in Japan in 750 ml bottles for about Y1000. You won't find it in the convenience stores, only in actual supermarkets, usually underneath a department store.

2) In 1995, when the Korean government raised the tax on beer and imported liquors signifigantly, they also stated that soju would be exempt from this out of regard for the working man. The recent price increases not withstanding, soju taxes are relatively insignifigant. It doesn't cost a lot to make, not a lot of investment in storage space for aging and low taxes. Even the best soju doesn't have a lot of cost relative to other beverages. Korean people know that expensive domestic soju would be simply the result of profiteering through middleman markup. That dog won't hunt. Yet.

[DanseurVertical]

[DanseurVertical]

[yodanole]

Andong soju is sort of a different animal. People refer to it as Chinese ( style ) soju. There aren't really any particular non varietal sojus that have any elitist pretensions. When Koreans want that sort of thing, it will probably be imported liquor. Witness the W300, 000-400,000 price tag on a bottle of relatively run of the mill bottle of scotch that I saw in a Pusan pizza/Western food cafe even 20 years ago. Baek Sae Ju is a bit more pricy, but it's a varietal.

The nature of the perception of soju and it's function in society sort of precludes that kind of thing ( IMO ). OTOH, Soju ( Korean or Japanese ) in Florida is $30 for a 750 ml bottle, if you can find it.

[fezmond]

[12ax7]

Why drink shochu when you can have excellent sake for about the same price?

[maitaidads]

[transmogrifier]

[nukeday]

I thought Japanese shochu was an okay, fairly affordable way to get drunk. It tends to get served in an iced, watered down cocktail though. Takes away the bite, but makes it pretty refreshing.