Korea trip itinerary recommendation-Korean traditional liquor free tasting at Jongno, Seoul

If I can recommend one things to do at Jongno, I would like to recommend free Korean traditional liquor tasting at The Sool Gallery. It is free and unique experience. During tasting event, a sommelir will introduce each liquor. You can learn about history about liquor and related culture. For tasting event (in English), you have to make reservation through naver. If you don't have enough time for tasting, you can just walkin and look around the exhibition. Also, you can buy korea trational liquor at a discounted rate.

 

Address	18, Bukchon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul Korea Ieum 1F, Korean Traditional Food Culture Center
Operating hour	10:00 ~ 19:00 Closed on New Year’s Day, Mondays, Lunar New Year, and Chuseok
Phone	+82-02-555-2283
Email	soolgallery2@gmail.com

 

• ‘Liquor of the Month for Tasting’ selected with a new theme every month
• Programs offered for foreigners (English/Japanese/Chinese)

 

Make a reservation for tasting event

0. You have to make account at naver.com

It is free. Naver is sort-of google, yahoo. One of major search engine at Korea. 

Side note, Naver map is better than Google map at Korea. I highly recommend to use Naver map. 

 

1. First search "The sool gallery" at Naver.com 전통주갤러리 is The sool gallery.

You can see below image. Click  "예약" which means "reservation" (yellow circle).

Alternatively: https://m.booking.naver.com/booking/12/bizes/142806?area=bni

네이버 예약 :: 전통주갤러리

 

2. You will be redirected to Naver map. You can see '예약', then click it again. 

 

English Program - Korean liquor tasting is what you want.

 

 

 

 

3. Click date, then click hour, and number of people (max 2 people per each reservation) in your party.

 

 

4. Then continue book after login to naver.com

You have to be 19 years old or older in order to drink alcoholic beverage in Korea.

 

You can chat with The Sool gallery customer service representative. so if you have any issue in your reservation or question, you can chat with them directly. They respond pretty fast.

 

- You can attend 1 Free traditional tasting per month.

- If you do not attend without cancel (no show) or cancel more than 2 times per month, researve more 3 or more per same program, all of your reservation will be cancelled and you cannot make reservation for coming month. 

 

 

Official homepage (English) - webpage, blog

https://thesool.com/eng/home/M100000000/index.do

더술닷컴

https://blog.naver.com/the_sool

[2022.12월 이달의 시음주] 우리술품평회 대상 _ 내 맘을 만져줄 하얀 눈을 닮은 우리술

 

The Sool Gallery is not a private gallery. It is funded by Korean government. 

Thier webpage has rich information in English, so please refer their webpage and blog for more information.

In addition to Korean traditional liquor, they also have Korean traditional food workshop and exihibition. 

 

How to get there and parking information

It is seoul metro Line 3, near Anguk station, Enterance number 2.

 

There is no available parking. Please use public transportation if you are going to attend liquor tasting! You should not drive right after this tasting event. 

 

Snacks or small bites are not provided along with the liquor tasting.

So, having some snacks before tasting event is highly recommended.

 

This is the enterance of The Sool gallery, you can see' Hansik space E:eum', and on the right side panel you can see' The sool gallery, traditional liquor exhibition'. 

 

 

The Sool Gallery, Hansik Space E:eum

This place is free admission! 

There are various exhibitions. At front deskt, information pamphlets are provided in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese.

 

Interior is impressive. Great combination of Korean traditional theme and modern cafe. 

Until end of December 2022, you can see Special Exhibition of Cheongsong Baekja and Hansik collaboration.

Four seasonal Hansik (korea traditional cusine) was displayed in Cheongsong Baekja.

 

 

Theme of December tasting event: ' The sool makes your hear warm like flufy white snow'

Five 2022 Korean Sool Award Gold prize winners are provided at 2022 December liquor tasting.

- Ewhaju [Takju]

- Cheongmyeongju [Yakju]

- Krate medium dry [Fruit wine]

- Rea 40 Distilled Soju [Distilled Spirits]

- Oak Bulsojokju [Other liquors]

 

 

 

 

It covers all four types of Korean traditional liquors - Takju, Yakju, Fruit wine, Distilled Spirits.

For detailed information of each liquor is informed both in Korean (above photo) and English(below photo) at https://blog.naver.com/the_sool/222939425858

[2022.12월 이달의 시음주] 우리술품평회 대상 _ 내 맘을 만져줄 하얀 눈을 닮은 우리술

Several descriptions of each drinks come from above blog post directly.

Above five liquors are today's tasting liquors.

When you check-in, you will get this tag.

This ㄷ shaped desk is where we are going to taste traditional Korean liquors. Todays' sommelir is inside of the desk and prepare today's tasting event. 

 

Each person will get two cups, one wet tissue, stickers for today's liquors, description tags per each liquor,  a bottle of water, and a tablet. A bottle of water is for rinse your mouth. If you need more, you can ask sommelir. Also, there is one big bowl between two persons. This bowl is for dumping leftover liquors. Also, you can rinse your cups using water between between different liquors, and dump the water in the bowl.

At tablet, you can record your feeling and thought, taste per each drink as a google form. It will be delivered to your email at the end of the tasting event.

 

 

Photos of 2022 December Korean traditional liquors

This is Ewhaju. It looks like a spread but it is a liquor. It also taste like a cheese or Greek yogurt, 8.5%. 

This is not a recently developed liquor. It has long history, started at Goryeo Dynasty. so even around1000 years ago, people drink Ewhaju.

You can eat directly as we did, or drink mix with sparkling water, or eat along with any cracker like cheese and cracker. 

Ewah-ju on top of the cracker can be a good home-party small bites.

I think this could be a good souvenir for Korea trip. It is a small bottle, so easy to pack.

It was around  12~13dollars per bottle. I bought two bottles for my mentors.

 

 

This Cheongmyeongju is the first winner of 2022 Korean traditional awards.

Cheongmyeon is one of the 24 seasonal seasons. Cheongmyeongju use water from Cheongmyeon season and is made with rice from Chungju.

Full of fruity aroma, fresh and sweet. It feels like a great desert wine. Not too strong, 17%.

Several people pick this as their the best drink among today's tasting drinks.

If you cannot buy on-site, you can buy through online.

Korean traditional liquors are available online shopping (not from The sool gallery).

I bought several bottels for my friends through Naver online shopping, because there was only one bottle available at The Sool gallery. (We bought the last bottle at the gallery as well).

It was around 18 dollars per bottle with delivery fee from Naver online shopping.

The Sool gallery was cheaper. So if you have chance, I would like to recommend to buy at the gallery.

 

 

This is thid drink. It is a vintage wine. Main ingredient of this liquor is Korean wild grapes. 

This wine was fermented in a oak barrel for 3 years, so it has good balance of sweetness, sourness, and tannin with unique aroma. My mom pick this as her best drinks among five tasting drinks.

 

 

 

Fourth one is Rea 40 Distilled Soju. 

Since it is very strong drink, you can also mix with water.

It has strong herb and Korea sweet potato aroma.

Label of this bottle has descriptions at the back. so you can read the back side of label too. 

 

 

Last one is Oak Bulsogokju. This is one of Hansan sogokju. Hansan sojokju is not a unique name, it is a type of drink. There are many Hansan sogokju.There was a tasting even only with Hansan sogokju, so you can see it.

This Oak Bulsogokju is made by a master who is known as human cultural asset for intangible cultural heritage. ('Human cultural asset for intangible cultural heritage refers a person who know traditional skills, so recognized by government by that skills)  so After distilling Hansan Sogokju by traditional methods, it was aged in oak barrel years. Severl people including me pick this as their best drink today. 

It doesn't have a strong aroma by just smell it.

When you sip a bit, complex and rich aroma fills your mouth including oak, butter, chocolate scent, annd more. Very well-balanced, deep, sweet, aroma and flavor makes me to try more to identify and enjoy this complex flavors. 

I need to admit the design of bottle is kind of ugly, but contents is really nice. We bought one of this too.

For example, Rye whiskey starts with strong flavor, but end is very mild and flavorless. Oak Bulsogokju has strong and complex flavor from start to end.

If you are tired about whisky, or if you enjoy whisky, I want to recommend Oka Bulsogokju (43%).

I want to recommend this as gift-drink. 

 

 

We also bought other traditional drinks that we enjoyed before. Each are around 3.5-7 dollars, with additional discount. So it was pretty cheap.

Above drink is very llight , fresh, and sparkling.

 

Above one has four season drinks. Spring one was most sweat, and many people liked it.  

 

If you want new experience, try Korean traditional liquors tasting event!