The traditional liquor manufacturer Juyeonhyang's distilled soju 'Yasu (野秀) R 53' received the grand award in the soju category of 40 degrees or higher at the 2025 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards.
The Korea Wine & Spirits Awards is a representative liquor competition in South Korea, now in its 12th year. Since 2014, ChosunBiz has held the competition annually with the goal of 'discovering and widely promoting good domestic liquor and supporting the formation of a healthy liquor culture.'
This year's event featured 236 companies showcasing a total of 1,008 brands, making it the largest scale domestic competition covering comprehensive alcoholic beverages. Of these, 431 brands received the grand award.
Yasu R 53 is a distilled soju made by selecting ingredients from Ganghwa Island and brewing liquor using traditional methods, followed by low-temperature fermentation for over 100 days and distillation using a steam distillation apparatus.
It features a soft and balanced blend characterized by a sweet taste combined with diverse floral aromas and subtle fruit notes, created through more than a year of aging in a special earthenware.
Juyeonhyang noted that 'in accordance with the meaning of enjoying good aroma liquor,' it produces five types of local specialties, including Korean rice wine, medicinal wine, distilled liquor, and general distilled liquor, in the Incheon Ganghwa area. 'Juyeonhyang, which brews the nature of the four seasons, designs the taste and aroma of our traditional liquor,' they said.