Whether it’s through K-Pop, Squid Game or Korean street food, you’ve probably heard about, or indulged in, the rise in popularity of South Korean lifestyle culture in the UK.
And the world of whisky certainly hasn’t been immune to this trend. Since the 2025 win for Korea’s first single malt whisky – Ki One Unicorn – which received the IWSC Worldwide Whisky trophy The Whisky Exchange has seen growing demand for both Korean whisky and its more traditional cousin, Soju. Here are some of our favourites.
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Discovering South Korean whisky
Ki One pays homage to the three nations that inspired their drive to produce Korea’s first single malt distillery with their inaugural releases – Unicorn for Scotland, Tiger for Korea and Eagle for America. Tiger is packed full of fruits and spice with rounded and sticky notes of dates, figs and raisins, giving way to hints of walnut and worn leather.
46 per cent ABV £69.95
A well balanced peated single malt from Kimchangsoo which launched its first whisky to the world in 2021. There’s notes of BBQ smoke here with seaweed, heather and salted dark chocolate.
50.1 per cent ABV £125
To Korea’s best known spirit, J&J brewery are leaders in Korea’s craft soju movement. This table strength soju is rich in character while retaining an elegance that makes it great for sipping or mixing.
25 per cent ABV £22.50
Jinmaek soju is made to an old-fashioned recipe using organic local wheat from the south of Korea. While wheat was an original ingredient in traditional soju, it hasn’t been used widely for many years. The founders behind Jinmaek set to reintroduce this heritage recipe to the world, resulting in a well balanced Soju with citrus and spice notes.
40 per cent ABV £42.95
