Any dedicated Soju drinkers here who could offer recommendations? I’ve tried two kinds- one called Yokaichi Mugi (off the shelf from an Andronico’s), the other called Tombo (gift from a friend). Both had good flavor, but I think the Tombo has a cleaner taste. In addition, the Tombo was smoother, and seemed to have less of a bite.
Scott have you ever had the Korean soju? Is the process for japanese shochu much different than the korean soju? I always though the Korean stuff was akin to bad american adjunct lagers. Mass produced to get hammered. Wondering if there’s anyone making it in Korea with more craft.
A little primer, for those who don’t know about soju. The info looks accurate.
I have to say, I knew nothing about Shochu and Soju prior to drinking the Tombo I was given for my birthday. The Mugi says “Soju” on it, but it’s from Japan. Haven’t had any Korean soju, in that case, since both of these bottles were Japanese. Quite good, though. Thanks for posting the wiki articles, Brent, I’ll look into those and educate myself.
Jinro is a big commercial brand and they have several types of Korean soju. I haven’t sold them in a while but I would imagine they are available in any major city market in the US, and certainly where there are Koreans! My experience here in NY and in MA they are distributed by under the radar Korean folks. They are different proofs and some are specifically grain or potato. Off the top of my head, Vine Connections is an importer which has some Japanese Sochus and they have distribution nationally as well. It’s been a while since I’ve tasted any of them.
http://www.jinrousa.com/index.asp
http://www.vineconnections.com/pages/japanese-shochu/index.html
I have always drink primarily Saan Soju. But I have never really looked for a premium soju. And I was unaware of Japanese versions.
J