Chusa 40 by the agricultural company Yesan Apple Wine Co. won Best of 2026 in the our traditional liquor distilled spirits institutional sector at the 2026 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards.
The Korea Wine & Spirits Awards is Korea's leading liquor tasting competition and is in its 13th year. With the goal of "discovering good domestic liquor, promoting it widely, and supporting the formation of a sound drinking culture," ChosunBiz has hosted it annually since 2014.
This year's event drew 260 companies submitting a total of 1,118 brands. It is the largest among domestic competitions that cover a full range of liquor. Of these, 449 brands won the grand prize.
Chusa 40 is an apple distilled spirit made with apples carefully selected from about 100 apple farms in the Yesan region. It applies a European-style distillation process and ages in oak barrels in the same manner as French Calvados, featuring a subtle apple aroma blended with vanilla and chocolate notes. The finish has also been praised as clean.
Jeong Je-min, head of brewing at Yesan Apple Wine, said, "It is a very meaningful achievement that our flagship product Chusa 40 was selected for Best of 2026 along with the grand prize," and added, "We will continue to produce the highest-quality liquor using Yesan apples to widely promote the excellence of Yesan apples and work for the globalization of our traditional liquor."