Makgeolli FAQ – Your Guide to Korean Rice Beer, Also Known as Korean R

New to makgeolli?

Learn more about the history of Korea's oldest drink, how to enjoy it, how to store it properly, and the ingredients and calories for each Màkku flavor:

Dating back to the 10th century, Makgeolli (막걸리) is the oldest alcoholic beverage in Korea.
Often referred to as "Korean rice wine" or "rice beer," makgeolli is a traditional Korean alcoholic beverage made from rice, nuruk (a natural fermentation starter native to Korea), and water. The name Makgeolli literally means ‘roughly filtered,’ and yes - it is roughly filtered!
Makgeolli has an opaque white appearance due to the delicate rice sediment remaining in the drink. The sediment greatly enhances the flavor, body and aroma of the drink, so be sure to give Makgeolli a quick stir or shake before consuming!
Makgeolli is brewed using a natural fermentation process with 3 main ingredients: steamed rice, water, and nuruk (a natural fermentation starter native to Korea).
Unlike most other brewed products, makgeolli is lightly filtered, thus retaining some rice sediment, and giving makgeolli its signature milky white color.
We brew Màkku using Gapyeong rice, and deep rock water, naturally filtered through layers of stone, drawn from 250 meters below. For our flavored varieties, we infuse real fruit purées for a fun and modern twist.
A traditional Korean fermentation starter, nuruk is a spontaneously fermented grain (ie. wheat, rice) cake that consists of various microorganisms and yeasts.
Nuruk’s microorganisms provide enzymes that break down the rice’s starches into sugar, and yeasts to convert the sugar into alcohol. Sometimes referred to as a ‘wild’ culture, the composition of a nuruk and its resulting microorganisms vary depending on the region where the nuruk is made.
Nuruk lends an earthy, sometimes ‘funky’ flavor profile to Korean alcohol (including makgeolli)! Nuruk is fundamental to the taste of makgeolli, and as a result, makgeolli tastes different from region to region (just like how a particular region's climate, soils and terrain affect the taste of wine).

Makgeolli can be gluten free, depending on what kind of nuruk is used.
Usage of wheat-based nuruk in Makgeolli lends to an earthier, funkier, more complex flavor, and usage of rice-based nuruk lends to a cleaner, simpler, taste.

To provide an easy to drink, smooth Makgeolli that also provides nuanced depth, we use a blend of both wheat and rice based nuruk. However, our resulting products all meet the threshold of being gluten free, as per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the U.S. government's regulatory arm that oversees food and beverage labeling, including some Alcoholic products).

The threshold for being gluten-free as per the FDA is <20 ppm (parts per million). Most people with celiac disease can tolerate foods with very small amounts of gluten, and other countries and international bodies
use this same criteria.

Our gluten level per can is <5 ppm.
- Original: 170cals, 13g sugar
- Mango: 180cals, 16g sugar
- Blueberry: 180cals, 16g sugar
- Passion Fruit: 180cals, 16g sugar
- Strawberry: 170cals, 13g sugar
- Coffee: 190cals, 16g sugar

Distilled Soju (like OORO)
Rice mash → Fermented for 10–14 days. Distilled in a still → Alcohol vapor is separated, then condensed.
Result = clear spirit (24–58% ABV) with natural rice/ipguk flavor.
- PRODUCTION: Small batch, uses copper still (18-plate German Kothe) to distill rice mash
- INGREDIENTS: Rice, ipguk, sesame (for OORO Sesame)
- ABV: 24-58%
- FLAVOR PROFILE: Rich, layered, rice-forward; sesame adds nutty aroma
- INGREDIENTS: Authentic, modern craft spirit
Diluted Soju (Green Bottles)
Starts with industrial ethanol (from rice, tapioca, or sweet potato, usually 95%+). That ethanol is then diluted with water + sweeteners to reach 16–21% ABV.
Much faster and cheaper to produce, but less flavor complexity than distilled soju.
- PRODUCTION: Industrial scale, high proof neutral spirits (ethanol) diluted with water
- INGREDIENTS: Mixed starches (tapioca, barley, sweet potato) + sweeteners
- ABV: Typically 16–21%
- FLAVOR PROFILE: Clean, light, slightly sweet, neutral
- INGREDIENTS: Mainstream, everyday soju
We have a range of 4 different products to appeal towards a wide range of consumers and occasions:
- OORO 58 (58% ABV)
  Premium, high-proof soju. Made with glutinous rice and nuruk, aged 6 months. Uses 40% nuruk for depth and complexity. Distilled with a German Kothe copper still (16 plates) for refined purity.
- OORO 40 (40% ABV)
  Balanced, strong soju. Same premium base as 58% but lower proof for broader drinkability.
- OORO 24 (24% ABV)
  Smooth and approachable soju. Same premium base as OORO 58 and OORO 40 but lower proof for broader drinkability.
- OORO SESAME (24% ABV)
  Innovative and distinctive — Korea’s first sesame soju. Double-distilled for a unique nutty aroma and flavor.

For OORO Soju, rice is fermented
with hand-crafted ipguk over 14 days, and then distilled to produce the
base spirit. After we proof the spirit to the appropriate ABV, it is aged for a minimum of 6 months. We follow the same process for OORO SESAME, but add a second distillation - where sesame seeds are added to a basket, similar to making gin - to infuse the liquor with a nutty flavor and aroma.
For Green bottle Soju, a base starch (often tapioca, sweet potato, or barley) is fermented and distilled into high-proof ethanol. This is usually outsourced and
available to purchase in bulk. The high proof ethanol (95%+ ABV) is diluted down to 16–21% ABV with filtered water, and blended with sweeteners (stevia, sugar alcohols, etc.) and sometimes flavor stabilizers.
Kyu-seop Oh is the master distiller and founder behind OORO. Since high school, he dreamed of creating his own liquor, and pursued food engineering at Korea University. He later earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in fermentation engineering from Osaka University in Japan.
This education deeply influenced his
knowledge of brewing, as Osaka University’s fermentation department originally began as a brewing department. After a career holding executive roles within IT at Naver and SK Telecom, Mr. Oh finally established his distillery in 2023 to pursue his high school dream of creating his own liquor.
His distillery - ON distillery - is located in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do, where he uses local Chamsari rice to produce his full line of products.

Due to regulatory restrictions, we are unable to fulfill your order directly, and work with a third party fulfillment company to process and ship out all orders.
Your order is processed within 1-5 business days, and is shipped via UPS. You will receive a shipping notification with your tracking number once your package ships. Please note that some orders ship in multiple boxes.
For any order inquiries, please contact us at hi@drinksool.com, and we will work with our fulfillment company to assist you.

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Distilled Soju (like OORO)

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