On the 3rd floor of the production building at the Hwayo second plant in Ganam-eup, Yeoju, Gyeonggi, on the 1st, there was a savory aroma as if rice had just been cooked. This is where the process begins for making the distilled soju Hwayo: the making of steamed rice and nuruk. After washing, soaking and draining the rice, it is steamed to make steamed rice; when mold spores are sprayed on it, nuruk is created. The only part that needs human hands is when spraying the mold spores. Almost all other processes, including temperature and humidity control, transfer and process records, are entrusted to automated equipment and sensors.
Hwayo is a premium distilled soju brand that started in 2003 at Yeoju Plant 1 with two tanks. At the end of 2023, it completed a second plant on the Plant 1 site with a total floor area of about 7,000 square meters and four above-ground floors, and it went into full operation in Jan. last year. In 22 years, it has evolved into a manufacturing platform where data, artificial intelligence (AI) and traditional onggi aging coexist. Hwayo CEO Cho Hee-kyung said, "Hwayo's differentiation strategy is to turn the traditional recipe into data and train it with AI," adding, "Wherever we open a brewery, we will be able to reproduce Hwayo's unique taste based on accumulated data."
The second plant is equipped with a manufacturing execution system (MES) that integrates and manages all processes from receipt of raw materials to bottling. History management begins the moment rice is brought into the external storage. Data is accumulated on which region's rice came in when and to which tank it was transferred, and at how many degrees and for how long it was soaked and steamed. It is a smart factory where the entire process of steaming rice, making nuruk, fermentation, distillation and aging is automated and digitalized. In addition, in 2021 Hwayo became the first in the liquor industry to introduce smart HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point), strengthening hygiene and safety management.
The framework of the manufacturing process is close to the traditional method. The steamed rice and rice nuruk are mixed with water and yeast in a fermentation tank for primary fermentation, then transferred to a larger tank for secondary fermentation with additional steamed rice. Primary fermentation lasts about seven days, and secondary fermentation continues for about two weeks, so after roughly three weeks, a mash with an alcohol content of 18-20 degrees is produced.
The mash is further refined once by vacuum distillation. This lowers the pressure inside the still so alcohol boils at a lower temperature. Unlike at atmospheric pressure, where alcohol boils at around 80 degrees, using vacuum distillation allows distillation to proceed at around 40 degrees. Hwayo production head Park Jun-sung explained, "Because it boils at a lower temperature, it reduces the burnt taste and off-flavors caused by solids in the mash scorching, and it maximizes the aroma and texture from the rice nuruk."
The base spirit obtained through distillation goes through another homogenization (blending) process in a storage tank before moving to the onggi aging room. The aging room at Hwayo's second plant in Yeoju is packed with about 300 onggi jars, and combining Plants 1 and 2 there are around 1,500 jars. Some jars contain base spirit produced in 2005 that has been aging for 20 years. Because onggi are hand-shaped by artisans, their capacities and thicknesses vary; Hwayo undergoes container verification under the Liquor Tax Act and then affixes a QR code to each jar to manage capacity, input and output history, and evaporation volume as data.
The minimum onggi aging period is three months. As air passes through the fine pores on the onggi surface, the harsh alcohol aroma and taste of the base spirit soften, leaving the rice's characteristic gentle aroma and texture. Even with the same base spirit, flavor changes depending on aging temperature and humidity and the evaporation rate, so Hwayo continuously monitors the aging room environment and the condition of each jar. When water is blended into the aged base spirit to lower the proof, product lines such as "Hwayo 41," "Hwayo 25" and "Hwayo 17" are completed. Base spirit aged separately in oak barrels is offered as "Hwayo X.Premium." At a canning line built separately at the Yeoju second plant, the company also plans to produce canned highballs based on lower-proof spirits, such as "Hwayo 19geum."
With the opening of the second plant, Hwayo also formalized its transition to a group structure. It launched Hwayo Group by combining the pottery brand Kwangjuyo and the premium food culture platform Gaon Society with Hwayo. The goal is to expand into a food culture platform that encompasses tableware, Korean cuisine and fine-dining spaces centered on liquor. CEO Cho said, "We will integrate-brand 'liquor, tableware and food culture' by bringing together Kwangjuyo's heritage, Gaon Society's fine-dining operation experience and Hwayo's distilled liquor technology under one brand axis."
It is also accelerating its push into global markets. Hwayo exports its products to 30 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia and Canada, and overseas it has established itself as a premium distilled spirit paired with full-course fine-dining menus at restaurants listed in the Michelin Guide and other fine-dining venues. CEO Cho said, "In 2026, we will reach 100 billion won in Hwayo Group revenue," adding, "We are pursuing intellectual property (IP) collaborations, development of ready-to-drink (RTD) canned products and low-proof lineups, and expansion of our global bar and club network."