Do you know that HiteJinro’s JINRO Soju has constantly held its place as the No.1 Soju brand in Korea since its launch in 1924 retaining its title as the No.1 selling spirit brand? According to the International Wine and Spirits Research (IWSR), JINRO has topped the list of Drinks International’s The Millionaire Club, ranking the world’s largest spirit brands by volume annually, for the past 20 consecutive years. Total sales of 95.3 million cases in 2020, which is way much more around three times the size of the next biggest brand in the list.
So how did JINRO soju managed to break their selling number one record?
Well, if you ask me, soju was traditionally distilled from grains that creates a soft and light dilution alcohol drinking like cocktails, especially its original flavor ‘Fresh’. People who have tried JINRO soju will most likely come back for a second or third try. But there’s a reason it’s so popular with Koreans and foreigners alike. JINRO soju Fresh has a mild flavor (16.9%), it fits wells with all kinds of food yet incredibly cheap compared to vodka. If you’re not up for Fresh, there are a variety of different other fruit flavors to try too which usually costs around ₱99 to ₱115.
How did JINRO soju become so popular?
JINRO Soju has only begun to make its presence globally in recent years, thanks to the Korean wave ‘Hallyu’ and the boom of K-culture, it is recently shown in almost every K-drama for example, a group of friends drink soju together after work to relief their stress or burden. One of the main reasons JINRO soju became so popular is the price. When I used to hang out with my friends, we used to drink JINRO soju and mix it beer because it makes me feel that I am part of the Korean culture.
Based on various global news article, it shows how much JINRO has dominated the market and just how much growth they have had over the past 10 years. Each count is for 9 litre cases and one JINRO Soju bottle is 360ml. So, for each count of 1 case means 25 bottles of Soju. JINRO alone has dominated the sales of alcohol for the last 20 years and as years go on, the gap between other alcohol brands gets larger. Since JINRO soju is mostly sold in Korea, it’s surprising that it’s beaten other alcohol brands which are sold around the world.
The two other brands listed in the graphs are the two other Korean soju brands Chum Churum (Soonhari flavored soju) which ranked 7th place, and Muhak’s Good Day Soju which ranked 10th place in the overall global ranking. As for the Korean Market, Chum Churum placed 2nd place, Good Day placed in 3rd.
Nevertheless, more and more companies are jumping into the soju business. As the popularity of the JINRO Soju brand increases, so does other brands due to its similar appearance to JINRO. Many consumers mistaken other brands as JINRO Soju, therefore the sales volume of soju is increasing.
But if there any brands that can beat JINRO, the Real Original Soju?
It is said that JINRO has sold 33 billion bottles of soju, which will take 10,700 years if an adult were to consume 1 bottle every one second.
Soju has been around for a very long time, successfully dominating not just the Asian market but the global market as well. HiteJinro expects that JINRO Soju sales to increase over time, helped by growing demand not from just the Korean Market but also the global market.
Well, once I’m done with this article, I am going to treat myself with some Peach Soju while watching K-drama. It is certainly a good choice to end my day with it.
Next time if you’re thinking about having a drink, try JINRO soju. If you haven’t tried JINRO soju, it is never too late to buy and start trying now. Note that, JINRO Soju is widely available throughout online stores and supermarkets & convenience stores nationwide!
If you guys are interested, you can find the products by checking out this link below for more information.