Chuseong Goeul

How It Began

"Chuseong" is an old name for Damyang, used for about 250 years from the reign of King Gyeongdeok of Unified Silla to the reign of King Seongjong of Goryeo. The liquor's name, Chuseongju, comes from this old place name. Its history traces back to Yeondongsa, an old temple at the foot of Mt. Chuwolsan. It is said that the gokcha which the monks of this temple, founded in early Goryeo, brewed and drank to stay healthy was passed down to the village below.

This liquor has been carried on as a gayangju by the Namwon Yang clan of Damyang. It began when a great-grandfather of deep Buddhist faith (1870–1957) made offerings to the temple and was taught how to brew the liquor. Master Yang Dae-su learned to make Chuseongju from his father, a civil servant, starting in his early 20s. While working at the local agricultural cooperative for 24 years, he looked for ways to increase rice consumption and decided to brew liquor.

In 1988, as he was dying, his father left the last words: "You must carry it on to the next generation, and make sure you hand it down." Prompted by these words, Master Yang Dae-su founded a brewery under the name "Chuseong Goeul" and began brewing again. He refined the secret recipe through small-batch production from 1990, received a liquor manufacturing license in June 1992 and completed a production plant in December 1993. With the Chuseongju he had restored this way, he was designated Korea Traditional Food (Folk Liquor) Master No. 22 in December 2000.

How the Liquor Is Made

Chuseongju is made by first aging pure grain together with medicinal herbs to make a yakju, which is then distilled twice more. All the ingredients come from Damyang. When the fully fermented yakju is heated in a sojugori (soju still), a 40% ABV spirit comes out. According to a 2007 report, 13 medicinal herbs go in, including goji berry, atractylodes, omija, kudzu root and eucommia.

Daetongdaeipsul is brewed from rice and nuruk with kudzu root, goji berry, pine needles, dried tangerine peel and other ingredients. The brewed liquor is put into bamboo tubes for a second aging, a step the brewery says is needed for its aroma and flavor to settle. The distilled spirit Tamiangs is also aged together with bamboo tubes during its second aging stage, and before filtration it is naturally filtered once more to refine its color and taste.

Signature Liquors and Lineage

Chuseong Goeul received a license to make Chuseongju (general distilled spirit) in April 1994. In May 2000 it added a license for Daeipsul (yakju). In June 2006 it released Daenamugol Bokbunjaju (fruit wine, 18% ABV). As of a 2007 report, the liquors the brewery put forward were the 25% ABV Chuseongju and the 40% distilled spirit Tamiangs.

Daetongdaeipsul is a 15% ABV, 700ml yakju. The Sool describes it as having a faint floral aroma, a balance of clean sweetness and acidity, and a light body and finish. It is also said to pair well with steak. Today, Master Yang Dae-su's son Yang Jae-chang, heir to the craft and the fifth generation, is carrying on the recipe.

Recognition

CEO Yang Dae-su was designated Korea Traditional Food (Folk Liquor) Master No. 22 on December 27, 2000. In 2013 he received the Order of Industrial Service Merit, Iron Tower Medal, on Farmers' Day. In July 2014 the brewery was selected as a "Visiting Brewery" by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Tamiangs received the top excellence award at the 2013 Korea Wine & Liquor Competition, followed in 2014 by a Grand Gold at Monde Selection and a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SWSC) in the U.S. The brewery won the grand prize at the Korea Liquor Awards in 2020 and received a Presidential Citation in 2021. At the 2024 Namdo Korean Liquor Competition, Chuseongju received the top excellence award.