We’ve all been there – not paid attention to the percentage of what we’re drinking, and found ourselves way more drunk than we were expecting. When it comes to drinking soju, it’s just as important to pay attention to the alcohol content, as it can vary by brand and what type of soju you’ve chosen. So just what is the alcohol content of soju, and what percentage alcohol does it contain?
There are different levels of alcohol in different types and brands of soju. For example, some of our favorite flavored soju types are much lower in alcoholic content than standard, traditional soju.
Flavored soju
Flavored soju alcohol percentages tend to come in at anywhere between 12% and 16%. Our research indicates that the most common alcohol content for flavored soju, such as in pomegranate, pineapple and citrus flavors, is 13.5%.
However, if you opt for the increasingly popular ready-to-drink sparkling soju in a can, this comes in at a significantly lower alcohol percentage of just 4%, fitting its status as more of an easy sipping, summertime drink.
These types of flavored soju have been released to attract – supposedly – a female target market. But hey, we can all enjoy a nice fruity drink from time to time!
Related content: Check out our page on flavored soju here – we’ve got the alcohol content of every variety we could find!
Original soju and Fresh soju – what’s the difference in alcohol content?
But what about the regular, non-flavored soju? Well, this tends to have an alcohol content in the region of 17% – 24%. Two of the most popular brands of soju, Jinro and Chamisul, market their Original soju brand at an alcohol percentage of 20.1%. Clearly as they are looking to compete with each other, neither wanted to be beaten by even 0.1% when it came to alcohol content!
However, the third of the top-ranking brands, Chum Churum, has a slightly lower alcohol percentage for its Original soju of 17%. To compete with this, Jinro and Chamisul have both launched Fresh branded soju at a similar percentage for those who still like their soju in the traditional style, but with slightly less of an alcoholic kick.
This percentage has reduced over the years, due to a number of reasons including price inflation and health-conscious consumers reducing their alcohol intake. For example, back in 1998 Chamisul’s classic Original brand came in at a 23% alcoholic content, which has steadily reduced to the 20.1% we know and love today. Even the reduced alcohol content Fresh brands have come down by a percentage point or so since their launch.
Traditional and craft soju
You might be wondering, given this reduction, what the alcohol content of soju was traditionally. Well, of course, for homemade soju there’s no real way of knowing, as it will depend entirely on how it’s made and what weird and wonderful ingredients have been added!
However, as a general rule, soju used to be up at the heady heights of 40% ABV. Whilst this type of soju is still available, it is much rarer and considerably less available than the more mass-produced and mass-marketed brands like Jinro and Chamisul.
If you’re lucky enough to either live in Korea, or near a Korean speciality store that might stock it or be able to order it in, you’re more likely to be able to find this more traditionally higher volume soju. Otherwise, it’s entirely possible you’re out of luck unless you know a fantastic liquor store (or off-licence if you’re in the UK).
Of course, this comes with a health warning from us – if you’re used to drinking either fruit flavored soju, or even the standard Original or Fresh brands, this might well get you drunk way quicker than you’re expecting, given it can be up to double the alcohol content!
Conclusion – what is the alcohol content of soju?
So, to summarise the above, here’s some rules of thumb for the alcohol content of soju:
- Original soju: 20%
- Fresh soju: 17%
- Flavored soju – an average of around 14%
- Traditionally brewed or craft soju – Anywhere up to 40%
But what if you’re really stuck? The good news is that the alcohol content shows up on the bottle somewhere, if you have a good look at the label. This is a matter of law in Korea and countries that soju is typically exported to!
To make it easy, some brands even mention the alcohol content of the soju in the branding, by ending the name with a number which corresponds to the alcohol by volume percentage.
Photo credit: Photo by Bundo Kim on Unsplash
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