Andong Soju

Most soju sold in Korea is diluted neutral spirit, industrially produced and around 17 percent. Andong soju is the older thing the word originally meant: rice fermented with nuruk, a wild-culture starter, then distilled in a traditional pot still, coming out at around 45 percent and unfiltered of character - grain-forward, hot, with a distinct nose. The technique is generally traced to the Mongol period, when distillation reached the peninsula, and Andong retained it partly because the yangban households here brewed for ancestral rites. It is designated as intangible heritage with named holders. A traditional soju museum in the city shows the process, the stills and the drinking vessels, with tasting included in the ticket, and there are producers selling directly. Two notes: it is strong enough to surprise people expecting the green-bottle version, and it is expensive by comparison.

What you actually see

• The pot stills - the traditional distillation setup.
• The nuruk starter - the wild-culture ferment the process depends on.
• The museum tasting - included with the ticket.
• The drinking vessels - the ceramics that go with the tradition.

When to go

Any season; the museum keeps regular hours and is rarely busy. It sits naturally in an Andong day with the jjimdak alley and the heritage sites.

Honest expectations

At around 45 percent this is not the soju most visitors know - treat it accordingly. Ticketed, and bottles are expensive. The museum is small and an hour covers it.

Nearby

Andong old market, Woryeonggyo bridge and Imcheonggak are in the city.