Spirits | United States | Matchbook Distilling | Hana Soju 20

Hana Soju 20

NOTES

Crafted in collaboration between Brooklyn’s Hana Makgeolli and Matchbook Distilling Co., Hana Soju 20 is a nuanced, low-ABV soju distilled from a base of organic rice and traditional nuruk.

Hana Soju 20 drinks almost like a rice-wine vermouth. Mix it 50/50 with dry vermouth for a lower-ABV martini—dirty if you like, always with a twist. Pour it over ice with bubbly water for an effortless highball. And when shiso returns in spring, splash in a little shiso syrup for a bright, herbal refresher.

Distiller's notes: "Our original plan was straightforward: run a first pass on the pot still to separate alcohol and flavor from water and solids, then switch to a column still—selecting only the most delicate aromatics, as with Hana 60, a single pass pot column. But the liquid coming off the pot still stopped us in our tracks: cool, sweet-salty, and alive with tarragon and shiso. It recalled a just-shucked spring oyster—cucumber and melon over ocean brine, a wisp of umami kissed with rice wine. It was perfect. So we adjusted the distillation on the fly—tightened the hearts cut, slowed the pace, and embraced a single-pass pot distillation. It’s an uncommon practice that leaves the spirit a little wilder—funkier, grassier, earthier—but here, that raw expressiveness is exactly the point. Post-distillation, we added just a pinch of salt and pinch of sugar to make the salty-sweet interplay sing."