Traditional liquor brewery Chohyangjeong Misugokju said on the 21st that its distilled soju "Misugok Tan" won the grand prize in the distilled soju category (31 degrees or higher) at the 2026 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards.
Misugok Tan is a distilled soju completed by refining yakju brewed in the samyangju method using only rice (non-glutinous and glutinous) and traditional wheat nuruk, then distilling it at atmospheric pressure. It features a flavor profile created solely through materials and supplies and fermentation technique, excluding chemical additives such as sweeteners and acidity regulators.
In particular, Chohyangjeong Misugokju noted that it implemented a complex aroma—such as chocolate notes, roasted grain aromas, and ripe fruit scents—by applying a microbial control technology that produces high-purity alcohol, which is difficult to achieve with traditional nuruk-based fermentation. It said the aroma was completed without artificial flavoring by precisely preserving ester components generated during fermentation.
Chohyangjeong Misugokju is a brewery that has focused on research into rice and wheat nuruk for about 18 years since 2008, concentrating on quality control from the materials and supplies stage, including producing nuruk with wheat it grows itself.
A Chohyangjeong Misugokju official said, "We sought to set a new standard for our liquor by adding scientific precision to tradition," adding, "Through Misugok Tan, we will promote the value of Korean traditional distilled liquor at home and abroad."