KOOKSOONDANG BREWERY's 'Bekseju' won the grand award in the institutional sector category at the 2025 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards. The Korea Wine & Spirits Awards is recognized as the representative liquor award ceremony in South Korea, holding its 12th event this year. Bekseju has won its seventh grand award this year since receiving its first grand award at the inaugural competition in 2014.
After undergoing a full rebranding at the end of last year under the concept 'Bekseju, a fragrance connecting a hundred years,' Bekseju received the grand award at the representative liquor award ceremony of South Korea, acknowledging its taste and quality.
The rebranded Bekseju captures 32 years since its launch, expressing a taste and design that bridges the past, present, and the next hundred years. It has been improved to enhance the flavor of food enjoyed together with a proper freshness and a clean umami.
Since 2008, Bekseju has been brewed with the country's first rice dedicated to brewing, called Seolgaengmi. Seolgaengmi has a structure with numerous fine holes, making it excellent for brewing processing, and it is low in protein while high in sugar and essential amino acids, which is suitable for brewing and results in a clean taste.
Bekseju is produced at the KOOKSOONDANG BREWERY located at an altitude of 500 meters in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province. It has been recognized as a green company by the Ministry of Environment for six consecutive years since 2007. The brewery is equipped with hygienic production facilities certified under Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) standards, utilizing clean water sourced from 340 meters underground and home-grown nuruk, which is well-dried with good sunlight and clean winds from Gangwon Province to eliminate harmful bacteria and unpleasant odors.
Bekseju developed by restoring the manufacturing method of Baekhaju, a premium liquor from the Goryeo Dynasty, uses the rice fermentation method and is named after 'Gugi Bekseju' from the practical writings of the Joseon Dynasty, which embodies our history and culture. Bekseju has also been designated as an excellent cultural product by the government, becoming the first in the liquor industry to receive this recognition.
Currently, Bekseju is exported to a total of over 60 countries, including China, the United States, and Japan.