soju taste test

i finished dinner with john earlier tonight and the plaza where he met up for dinner had just opened a new korean supermarket. so i walked in to pick up a bottle of soju. this was the first time i've ever bought soju, and there was a huge selection.

i narrowed it down to jinro soju, "the best selling soju in the world." there were three to choose from so i bought these three b/c the alcoholic scientist in me wanted to see the difference between them.

from left to right i have the weakest to the strongest. the "fresh" jinro soju, i'm guess it's another word for "light" is at 19.5% alcohol by volume (abv)/39 proof, next is just the reg jinro soju coming in at 20.1% abv/40.2 proof, and lastly there is jinro 24, that's pretty self explanatory at 24% abv/48 proof.

i poured 3 shots from the three bottles into three different shots glasses to prevent a accidental mixture the residual a previous pour. the "fresh" soju of course tasted light and smooth, crisp finish but watery. the reg soju tasted harsh and very alcoholic, with a hint of sweetness and a bitter after taste. lastly with the jinro 24 it's was just as smooth as the fresh, but it was sweet like the regular soju; the best of both worlds.

i was reading the label and i think i know why they three bottles taste the way they do. the "fresh" is made from grains of 50% rice and 50%, while the regular soju was made with rice, barley, sweet potato, and tapioca. jinro 24 doesn't list the percentages but besides the gains of barely and rice they also added sugar and citric acid, which probably helps with the finish and sweetness without the dilution by adding water like "fresh" which subsequently decreases the abv.

so in conclusion, even though the jinro 24 cost a dollar more, i say buy it for the higher alcohol content, better and sweeter taste, and smoother finish.