The best alcoholic drink

The assassination of President Park Chung-hee at a safe house in Seoul on Oct. 26, 1979, gave liquor giant Chivas Regal instant fame. By today’s standards, the 12-year-old, 43-percent whiskey might look too simple for Korea’s most powerful men to drink. Park also enjoyed the booze of common Koreans such as makgeolli (traditional Korean milky white wine) mixed with a carbonated soft drink. Korea’s first domestically distilled whisky hit the market in 1978.

Johnny Walker Blue Label, synonymous with quality whisky, will be lowered to 40 percent from 43 percent in September for the domestic market. It was 40 percent when introduced in Europe and the U.S. in 1867. The distiller, however, made it 43 percent for Korean and Japanese consumers, who prefer strong liquor. Considering that most domestic whiskey brands are around 40 percent, it appears that Johnny Walker is trying to cater to Korean drinkers, who increasingly prefer lighter liquor, after decades of differentiation strategy.

Makers of the Korean distilled liquor soju, the most popular drink in Korea, gradually lowered the alcohol content from 30 percent in the 1960s to 25 percent after 1973 and further to 23 percent in 1998. Since 2000, finding soju with alcohol content exceeding 20 percent has been difficult. Industry sources say the lower the alcohol content, the more sales increase. Skeptics, however, question whether the most common 16-percent soju can leave the same strong taste as old soju. Another trend is that people who make boilermakers, or a glass of beer mixed with a shot of whisky, increasingly replace whiskey with soju. Others also prefer making boilermakers with 30-year-old Valentine’s whisky, but the liquor is growing less popular among Koreans.

The increasing consumption of makgeolli and wine is attributable to a growing awareness of health and well being in Korea, as consumers prefer lighter drinks to stay healthy and prevent hangovers. Reports that red wine is good for the heart have boosted wine sales. No matter how light a drink is, it still contains alcohol. Heavy consumption of lighter drinks can do more damage to health than moderate drinking of strong liquor. If quitting drinking is not possible, the best drink is moderation.

Editorial Writer Ha Tae-won (triplets@donga.com)