Liquor is a fermented drink in which various ingredients including alcohol were created by microbes’ disintegration of carbohydrates and is the oldest drink among human made drinks. The origin of Korean liquor, Takju (unrefined rice wine) and Yakju (rice wine) is not known exactly but based on the literatures it seems to have developed over a long period of time after it was created before Samhan age.
Various kinds of brewing were done in the middle of Goryeo Dynasty and from that time on the kinds of wines such as Takju, Yakju (Cheongju) and Soju (distilled liquor) were started to be documented in the literature. In Joseon Dynasty, the methods of brewage were diversified by region, family, season and usage, which are largely categorized into Yakjus, Takjus, Sojus and liquors for medicine use. From ancient times, Koreans loved to brew wines, enjoyed drinking them and had wisdom and intelligence to control liquor. Based on long history and original culture, Koreans created its own unique liquors and culture. Korean ancestors used to express that they eat wines instead of saying that they drink wines, as they have perceived wines as food instead of merely taste beverage.
Goguryeo has advanced brewage skills in its era as it is even called as a country of fermentation. They already used malt for brewage and Goguryeo’s brewage skills were introduced to China. So the famous liquor called “Gok-a-ju (grain embryo liquor)” was made in China. Naknang brewage method that inherited the brewage skills of Goguryeo was settled down in the Silla age.
Susubori who is respected as a god of liquor in Japan is a citizen of Baekje, and it is said that true liquor was started to be brewed in Japan through the transmission of malt and the method of brewage by Susubori.
Based on the old book ‘Samgukyusa’, there is a record that King Taejong Muyeol consumed 54 liters of rice and 10 pheasants of foods for a day. Around the time in the United Silla, various kinds of brewed wines were developed and the practice of drinking Cheongju (clear strained rice wine) was popular among the society of high-class people.
The method of brewage of grain wines were fully developed before Goryeo age and in the early part of Goryeo age the brewage skills and the kinds of wines such as Cheongjus, Takjus and Gamjus (sweet rice drink) were diversified.
Goryeo age was the time when the basic forms for three major Korean liquors such as Takju, Yakju and Soju were completed.
Famous liquors in Joseon age is as many as 300 kinds but the representative one among them were Baekhaju, Samhaeju, Ehwaju, Cheonggamju, Buuiju, Hyangonju, Yaksanchun and Hosanchun and a lot of Sojus were consumed as well.
Rice wine (Yakju) is alkaline
As rice wine uses the malt of wheat, it is alkaline wine with unique fruit flavor originated from the ingredient contained in the cortex of raw material. Unique and natural sour taste of traditional rice wine has the efficacy of promoting appetite.
Traditional Liquors and Liquor taken at meal times
Liquor taken at meal times are in most cases not more than appropriate quantity and therefore it will be a desirable food culture to have liquor taken at meal time as far as the liquor taken are not more than appropriate quantity.
Traditional liquors give neither headache nor hangover after drinking.
Traditional rice wines that used good quality malt and was fully fermented do not give headache or hangover. Especially, the rice wine such as Baekhaju which used raw rice fermentation method gives no headache at all.
Soju which used to be used as medicine
Soju is liquor with very high degree of alcohol. When King Munjong of Joseon Dynasty died, King Danjong was very tired and his body became very weak to act as a mourner for a long time. At that time, King Danjong could recover after taking Soju, which means that at that time Soju was used as a medicine.
Takju (Unrefined rice wine)
Takju has the longest history together with Yakju and is the representative traditional liquor. From long time ago, Takju has been made at home and people loved to drink it at home. As each family made Takju using its own unique brewing method, the tastes were all different to slightly extent. In line with the development of brewage skills since the period of Three States, Yakju was introduced but it was hard to distinguish Yakju from Takju. Raw ingredients used are the same but Takju was taken before the refining process while Yakju was taken after refining process and that is why Yakju is clear and Takju is not clear. Raw ingredients for Takju and Yakju are grains, other starch containing material or starch syrup, soup and water. The difference between Takju and Yakju is how much the fermented yeast was filtered and brewed.
Yakju
At the time when the maturing process of Takju is about to finish, clear liquid is floating to the upper part of liquor jug. ‘Rice wine strain’ made of bush clover or bamboo strip in empty container shape is put in the clear liquid and only the clear liquid is ladled out of the jug. It is Yakju. In China, Yakju means medicinal liquor as the characters mean but in Korea a scholar named Seo Yoo-Geo of Joseon age first brewed a good wine. His pen name was Yak-bong and he lived in Yakhyeon-dong and the name Yakju was originated from the ‘Wine made by Yak-Bong’ or ‘Wine made in Yakhyeon-dong’.
Cheongju (Clear strained rice wine)
Cheongju is brewed from white rice and the name Cheongju is given as it is very clear as compared to Takju. Cheongju is liquor but it is also used for seasoning of various dishes of meat and fish.
Cheongju was brewed from the period of Three States, and we can find a record on Cheongju in a poem in the book called “Dongguk Lee Sang-Guk’s Poem compilation” saying, “We can have clear Cheongju by compressing the fermented malts. But we got as much as 4~5 bottles only.” We guess that the name Cheongju was used as the fully fermented malt was well filtered to be clear.
Soju (Distilled liquor)
Soju was originated to eliminate the drawback of generally brewed wine that it cannot be kept for a long period and it was the liquor brewed through the distilling process of fermented crude liquid. In our country, after Kublai Kahn, the grandson of Genghis Kahn launched onto Korea for the purpose of the expedition to Japan, Soju was brewed around the areas of Gaeseong which was the main camp for Mongolians and also Andong and Jeju Island where there were outposts for Mongolian troops. When Won planned the expedition of Japan together with Goryeo, Won established a supply base in Andong and there Mongolians started to brew Soju and Andong Soju became popular to people since then. Andong Soju was further developed in Joseon Dynasty. After Soju was introduced in Korea, the Soju was called differently in each region. In Gaeseong it was called Arakju, in Pyeongbuk region Arangju, in Gyeongbuk, Jeonnam and a part of Chungbuk Saeju or Seju, and in Jinju Soeju. In the areas such as Hadong, Mokpo and Seoguipo it was called Arangju, in Yeoncheon Araeji and in Suncheon and Haenam “Hyoju.”
Gahyangju (Flavor added liquor)
In order to add unique flavor to liquor, flower or leaves of plant was put into the liquor. There are various Hwaju (flower liquor) including Dugyeonju (Azalea liquor) which used azalea flowers. There are two kinds of brewage. One is to brew putting flavor adding flowers together with other general ingredients from the beginning. The other is a method called “flavor adding brewing method” in which flavor adding flowers is added to the grain liquor which was already brewed.
First, Mind Control
Our ancestors regarded mind control as an important element while brewing liquor. First of all, they cleaned their body and mind and offered a sacrificial rite before they start to brew.
Second, Making Malt
Malt is a substance to form a mass of wheat so that molds and yeast grow well in there. Malt makes molds spread out evenly and makes good liquor smell.
Third, Processing of Raw Ingredients
Main ingredients of traditional liquor are grains, and among the grains the representative one is rice. The taste of rice wine depends on how to process rice. Sometimes hot water is poured to rice powder to use it as a raw material for rice wine and sometimes rice is steamed in an earthenware steamer.
Fourth, Brewing Liquor
When steamed rice for making wine and malt were made, the steamed rice and malt powder are put into the cooled down water after boiling and put them into the liquor jug for brewing. The liquor jug should be kept in a place where temperature is appropriate with some wind blowing so that the temperature of liquor jug does not go up too high. In order to check whether the liquor is matured or not, knock the jug and clear sound is the sign of well-done liquor.
