Tokki Soju Agricultural Corporation

How It Began

Tokki Soju's founder, Brandon Hill, first encountered Korean liquor through a Korean roommate while studying at the University of Hawaii. He stayed in Korea from late 2010 to 2012. During that time he learned traditional liquor-making techniques at the Susubori Academy at Kyonggi University.

The name "Tokki" (rabbit) comes from 2011, the Year of the Rabbit. 2011 was the very year the founders learned to make soju from rice and nuruk in Korea. Tokki Soju was founded by Brandon Hill in Brooklyn, New York, in 2016. In August 2016, six months after the founding, business partner Douglas Park joined.

Tokki Soju began building its distillery in September 2019 and completed it in May 2020. In a September 2020 report, Etoday said that Hill had set up an agricultural corporation and a brewery in Chungju, North Chungcheong, in June of that year. The first product made in Chungju reached the Korean market in July 2020.

How the Liquor Is Made

Tokki Soju built its recipe on glutinous rice and nuruk. The official website describes nuruk as a traditional fermentation starter so difficult to work with that other premium producers have given up on it. In a 2020 interview with Financial News, Hill said the spirit is made from 100% glutinous rice and nuruk fermented for nine days. In the same interview he said he experimented with 60 kinds of rice in pursuit of "the traditional Joseon-era method of fermenting rice without adding artificial sweeteners."

The finished soju is not filtered to remove fatty acid esters. As a result, the spirit turns cloudy at around −5°C. The official website explains that most producers filter these compounds out, but Tokki Soju leaves them in.

Signature Liquors and Lineage

White Label is the first product, which launched the company in 2016. The second product, Black Label, came out in 2017. The most recent product, Gray Label, is 31% ABV, a strength chosen to support cocktails without overwhelming food. The official website calls it "the middle path between the table and the bar."

Gold Label is a soju aged in oak barrels, using both American and French oak. The official website explains that this aging process is not inherited but one the company developed itself.

Seonbi Vodka is 40% ABV. Wikipedia describes it as made from glutinous rice and distilled three times. The ingredients registered on The Sool are purified water, neutral spirit and undiluted rice distilled soju.

Recognition

Tokki Soju is a brand born in Brooklyn, New York. But in 2020 its founder, Hill, set up an agricultural corporation and a brewery in Chungju, North Chungcheong. In a September 2020 Etoday report, a North Chungcheong provincial official said Tokki Soju had received traditional liquor approval from the governor that year.

According to English Wikipedia, Seonbi Gin received top-tier awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for two consecutive years after its first release. Black Label won gold medals at the New York International Spirits Competition and the San Francisco Spirits Competition. Gold Label won a Double Gold at the San Francisco Spirits Competition.