WHAT IS JEONTEONGJU?
‘Jeon-teong-ju,’ directly translated as ‘traditional liquor,’ refers to liquor that is produced according to the traditional recipes and methods of South Korea. A wide variety of jeonteongju is crafted in various regions of South Korea, all embracing the different brewing techniques inherited from ancestors centuries ago. Jeonteongju and the craftsmen that keep South Korea’s alcohol culture alive are considered South Korea’s ‘Intangible Cultural Assets.’
HISTORY
The history of Jeonteongju goes far back to the Joseon Dynasty, which lasted from 1392 to 1897. Jeonteongju has thrived during this time. Many jeonteongjus have been crafted in homes or small breweries using unique ingredients. Such culture has developed and more various types of ingredients were used to craft liquor. This resulted in hundreds of alcohols all slightly differing in methods of brewing or the use of ingredients depending on the household or brewery.
However, around the 1920s, the crafting of jeonteongju started to die out due to many tragic national events, including the Korean War. As grain was banned from being used as an ingredient of alcoholic beverages in order to preserve the staple, a more affordable alternative to jeonteongju was created. Diluted soju was made from cheaper ingredients in efforts of creating a more low cost alcohol. This type of soju is now typically represented in green bottles and are mass produced. Fortunately, the craftsmen who create jeonteongjus have been determined in keeping the culture of brewing alive. These traditional methods have been developed and modernized after the ban was lifted, allowing the distilleries and craftsmen to craft high quality alcoholic beverages while keeping the traditional brewing methods.
INGREDIENTS AND METHODS
“The use of ‘nuruk’ is what primarily differentiates diluted soju from traditionally distilled jeonteongju. Nuruk is a traditional Korean fermentation starter that becomes the base for making jeonteongju.”
It is often made of rice, wheat, and/or barely. Jeonteongju uses high quality ingredients like rice from domestic regions and waters from clean areas. Sometimes, any other ingredients like fruits, flowers, or herbs are also used to create distinct flavors. These ingredients are fermented with nuruk, creating a flavor unique to the brewery depending on the type of nuruk and time of fermentation. After fermenting with nuruk, the filtration process begins. Here, depending on which layer of sediments the brewers take, the beverage is categorized.
On the other hand, diluted soju uses inexpensive ingredients to create the ethanol, which is then diluted multiple times in water and is finished by adding additives. When a liquor is diluted multiple times, the pure flavors of the original ingredients are lost. Unlike diluted soju, jeonteongju is distilled only once or twice in order to keep the true flavors of its original high quality ingredients.
TYPES OF JEONTEONGJU?
Jeonteongju is typically categorized into four types, depending on the slight differences in methods or ingredients. In the U.S, these can be considered a fanciful name for the types of liquor due to the differing categorization standards of alcoholic beverages.
TAKJU/MAKGEOLLI:
Takju, thick and unrefined, is any fermented alcohol with sediment. When takju is freshly and lightly filtered, it creates makgeolli.
YAKJU/CHEONGJU:
A clear layer of liquor that is separated and refined from the sediment layer during fermentation or filtration is yakju or cheongju.
DISTILLED LIQUOR:
Distilled liquor is created through distillation of takju, yakju, or cheongju. Distilled soju is also a type of distilled liquor.
FRUIT WINES:
Fruit wines are fermented from domestic fruits that are a specialty to each region of Korea.
