These Korean Whiskeys Are Giving Japan And Scotland A Run For Their Money
For years, whisky in Korea was something you poured at a karaoke bar to impress your boss—or drank with imported Scotch while making awkward small talk at a business dinner. But in the past few years, the country's relationship with whiskey has shifted from boardroom obligation to genuine obsession.
Today, a new generation of distillers is shaping Korea's whisky future with locally distilled, aged, and blended spirits that stand proudly on their own. It's not just imitation Scotch anymore—these bottles are uniquely Korean, expressive, and in many cases, surprisingly delicious.
Here's what you need to know about Korean whisky's roots, and a few bottles you should seek out if you want to drink like you're ahead of the trend.
Glass of whiskey with ice cubes on the old barrel. With copy space on wooden background
Whisky in Korea has long been synonymous with imports—mostly Scotch and, more recently, Japanese whisky. Local conglomerates like HiteJinro and Doosan dabbled in bottling blends under license, but true domestic whisky? Not so much.
That started to change in the 2010s. Changes to Korea's liquor laws made small-scale distilling more feasible, and a few adventurous makers—some with Scotch whisky pedigrees—began laying down barrels. Thus the country's decision to go with that whisky spelling rather than whiskey. Now, Korea is starting to produce some genuinely interesting whiskeys of its own. They may not have decades in the barrel (yet), but they do have something Scotch never will: a Korean passport and a local perspective.
Ki One 'Tiger Edition'
Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province
Three Societies is where Korean whisky officially found its cool older cousin who studied abroad and came back with stories. Founded by Korean-American entrepreneur Bryan Do and helmed by Scottish master distiller Andrew Shand (formerly of The Macallan), this is the country's first true single malt distillery.
The Ki One Tiger Edition—their first release—was bottled at a cask-strength 56.2% ABV and made from 100% Korean barley. It's got warm notes of roasted chestnut, apricot jam, grain biscuits, and a whisper of citrus peel, with a surprisingly structured finish for something so young. Think of it as Korea's whisky debutante ball—and yes, she wore tiger stripes.
The Signature
Busan
Golden Blue is kind of like Korea's Crown Royal: loved, ubiquitous, and smoother than you'd expect. It's technically a blend and clocks in at a modest 36.5% ABV, which means it's legally whiskey in Korea, but it might raise eyebrows elsewhere. That said, this is a bottle built for session sipping.
The Signature offers flavors of light honey, grain toast, and a faint floral tea finish, and it goes down easier than a Zoom call with the camera off. It's especially popular with Korean drinkers who are just starting to explore whisky, or anyone who wants to feel fancy without working too hard for it.
Photography of a glass whisky with ice.
North Gyeongsang Province
Named after Korea's mythical white tiger and Mount Paektu (the spiritual 'roof' of the Korean peninsula), this new distillery is aiming for myth-making right out of the gate. And surprisingly? They might just pull it off.
The Paektu Malt offers delicate notes of Asian pear, almond, oak spice, and jujube, wrapped in a silky texture that suggests careful blending and a lot of taste-testing (for science, of course). With more regional cask experiments on the way, White Tiger could be the one to watch if you like your whisky with a backstory and a bite.
Korean whiskey is still in its early chapters—but it's already telling some compelling stories. While many of these bottles are hard to find outside Korea (for now), that's part of the fun. Next time you're browsing the spirits aisle or stocking your global whiskey shelf, leave a little room for Seoul. You'll be glad you did.
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