Upo's Morning Corporation, a local company based in Changwon and Changnyeong, has won the grand award in the Korean rice wine category at the 2025 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards.
The Korea Wine & Spirits Awards is the country's representative liquor quality evaluation event, now in its 12th year. It has been held annually by ChosunBiz since 2014 with the goal of "discovering and widely promoting good domestic liquors, and supporting the establishment of a healthy liquor culture."
This year's event featured a total of 236 companies showcasing 1,008 brands, making it the largest liquor evaluation event in the country. Among them, 431 brands received the Daesang.
According to Upo's Morning, "Sahwa Makgeolli" is made with 100% domestically sourced rice and sticky rice. Sahwa is a new premium brand of Clear Tomorrow. Sahwa Makgeolli is the representative Korean rice wine of Sahwa, and Upo's Morning noted that it is made without added sugars, including artificial sweeteners, emphasizing the natural sweetness and full-bodied character of the rice.
The makgeolli, which could easily have a strong and dull taste, has been refined through a long low-temperature fermentation process that reduces acidity and maximizes a thick and smooth flavor.
Park Jung-hyeop, CEO of Upo's Morning, said, "It is a liquor that feels the unique sweetness of sticky rice and diverse fruity aromas." He added, "I want to widely promote our sophisticated liquor that maintains the highest quality while breaking away from traditional molds."