Hard Potion Makgeolli
A makgeolli that won the 2023 Korea Liquor Awards. The bottle is quite hefty, and even the cap feels premium — almost like opening a craft gin.
The label with “UNDILUTED” written in red is striking. A confident statement that it’s bottled straight from the original brew, uncut and undiluted.
I tried a straight shot. I was a little cautious, expecting the alcohol content to be quite high, but it goes down surprisingly smoothly. There’s not much carbonation, and it has a yogurt-like quality. On the other hand, it’s not very sweet — more dry — so drinking it straight is still a little demanding. It tastes better over ice.
This was my first time coming across a brand called Palpal Brewery, but the makgeolli is impressive enough that I think I’ll be coming back to it every now and then.