Golden Whale Brewery, located in Chungju, North Chungcheong, said on the 22nd that "Suanbo Peach Makgeolli" won the grand prize at the 2026 Korea Liquor Awards.
"Suanbo Peach Makgeolli" is a product developed in 2024 through collaboration with the Chungju Agricultural Technology Center. While Chungju is widely known as an apple-producing region, the product was planned with the idea that peaches, despite being a major crop, are relatively less recognized.
Golden Whale developed this product and introduced it to the market in 2025 to promote the excellence of Chungju peaches and pursue mutual growth with local farms. Each year, it used about 1 ton of fresh peaches supplied by NongHyup and farms in the Chungju area, processing the puree through a high-level juicing procedure.
A Golden Whale official said, "We established a system to refrigerate the puree so we can produce makgeolli of consistent quality regardless of the season," adding, "Thanks to this, year-round production is possible while maintaining the freshness of the ingredients."
"Suanbo Peach Makgeolli" features the subtle aroma and smooth sweetness characteristic of peaches, harmonizing with the deep, original flavor of makgeolli.