Having recovered recently from being ill, having as it turns out been ill for sometime, I am reacquainting myself with one of my loves alcohol. Each month I’m going to drink something new and write about here if I remember. This month the lucky Liquor is Jinro 25.
Jinro 25 claims to be the best selling Soju brand. What is Soju? A distilled beverage made and drunk across its native Korea. Wikipedia claims it to be ‘not unlike vodka’ in which case we will get on famously.
Traditionally it is rice based, though modern manufacturing processes see the addition of sweet potato, potato wheat, barley and tapioca. It can range from 16%-45% ABV. Soju apparently means ‘burned liquor’ and it has been distilled since the 13th century.
The blurb on the bottle says it is ‘an amalgamation of a selection of the finest natural ingredients barley, rice, sweet potato, tapioca and water, distilled and then filtered through bamboo charcoal. Remarkable for its sweetness and balance, its refined nose and silky taste. Can be drunk on its own or as a cocktails, an aperitif or with food. 25% ABV
We opted for drinking this neat. Very slight tinge of colour to the liquid. Smells a bit like vodka, in particular bison grass vodka.
It is smooth, not so sure about the silky bit. Sweetness is present, but you miss it if you knock it back. Rolling the liquid round your mouth brings it out along with some other flavours. Though it is not a caramel type of sweetness, more a tongue on a spoon of sugar. Doesn’t have the warmth/burn of other spirits.
Soju drunkenness creeps up on you. There are two of us making our way through the bottle, one of us drinks a third to a half more than the other.
Drunk arrived when there is about 200ml left in the bottle.
At bottle empty we are eating crisps (and as I discovered a few days later, putting crisps on the cats back). The drunk is mellow with a eucalyptus behind the eyes feeling, which is most bizarre. There is a definite lightness in the eyes. Like a breeze. But no energy in the body it is a bit like being stoned, the mind is strong but the body is weak.
The after effects suggest it is not as clean a spirit as vodka nor as agreeable as rum. Bit of headache, couldn’t face any other spirits the next night, but a couple of bottles of wine went down a treat.
Overall it was an interesting experience but not one we will be repeating again in a hurry. Maybe if we can find an all rice Soju we would give that a go, being as we are fans of Sake, Jinro 25 though is a no.
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