"The Trend is Premium: HiteJinro Focuses on Distilled Spirits"

'Ilpum Jinro 23-Year-Old' Limited Release of 8,000 Bottles
Distilled Soju Sales Growth... 10% Increase as of August This Year

HiteJinro is actively expanding its distilled liquor portfolio by launching various products, including the premium distilled soju ‘Ilpoom Jinro,’ riding the wave of premiumization sweeping the liquor market recently.

HiteJinro 'Ilpum Jinro Oak43'

According to the liquor industry on the 16th, HiteJinro’s initial three-month supply of ‘Ilpoom Jinro Oak 43,’ released last July, was shipped out within half a month, prompting an urgent second production run, with a third production scheduled to be completed before Chuseok. Ilpoom Jinro Oak 43 is a distilled soju with an alcohol content of 43%, blending 12-year oak barrel-aged base liquor with Ilpoom Jinro. It was introduced as part of HiteJinro’s lineup expansion reflecting the recent trend of high-proof liquor growth in the distilled liquor market.

On the 14th, HiteJinro also launched ‘Ilpoom Jinro 23 Years,’ made from 100% base liquor aged in oak barrels for 23 years, and began limited sales of 8,000 bottles. Since starting with ‘Ilpoom Jinro 18 Years’ in 2018, HiteJinro has been releasing limited editions annually, strengthening its presence in the premium soju market. In fact, all limited edition products released from 2018 through last year have sold out, receiving a warm response from the market.

HiteJinro is focusing on securing a leading position in the growing premium soju market by strengthening its distilled soju lineup centered on the Ilpoom Jinro brand. According to Statistics Korea, the domestic shipment value of distilled soju, which was 33.3 billion KRW in 2018, grew by 93.9% to 64.6 billion KRW in 2021. In contrast, diluted soju decreased by 2.0%, from 3.6183 trillion KRW to 3.545 trillion KRW during the same period. Although distilled soju still lags significantly behind diluted soju in absolute scale, the industry regards it as a highly promising sector considering the growing preference for premium products in the liquor market.

HiteJinro 'Ilpum Jinro 23-Year-Old'

Currently, HiteJinro operates four distilled soju products, including Ilpoom Jinro, the annually released Ilpoom Jinro aged varieties, Jinro 1924 Heritage, and Ilpoom Jinro Oak 43, and has been achieving significant growth every year. Sales of the Ilpoom Jinro brand grew by 13% in 2020 when COVID-19 began, followed by 78% growth the next year, and 67% growth last year. Despite the high growth in the previous year, it recorded about a 10% growth rate through August this year.

In addition to distilled soju, HiteJinro plans to actively enter the domestic distilled liquor market by discovering various premium liquors with high rarity to respond to the changing liquor market and strengthen competitiveness. This month, it signed a contract with the French cognac manufacturer ‘Hardy’ and launched the top-tier lines ‘Lalique Four Seasons’ and ‘Lalique Cayota’ in Korea for the first time.

Starting with cognac, HiteJinro plans to expand its portfolio to include various product categories with high growth potential such as whiskey, tequila, and vodka. Recently, it also disclosed that it is reviewing the acquisition of all shares of the Scotch whisky brand Windsor Global owned by Diageo Atlantic B.V. A HiteJinro official said, “We believe the distilled liquor market has stabilized after rapid growth,” adding, “We plan to expand category awareness and strengthen brand power for distilled liquors going forward.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.