The Ingredients of Traditional Soju and Their Hidden Story
The raw material of traditional soju is rice, the grain of the rice plant. The structure of rice is divided into three layers from the surface: the husk layer, the bran layer, and the starch layer. Removing the husk from the grain produces brown rice, and removing the bran layer from brown rice produces white rice. Traditional soju is made using this white rice. It is called white rice because of its color, but upon closer inspection, bran layer residue remains on the surface. Because the bran layer is subtly rooted into the white rice, it cannot be completely removed through standard milling.
The bran contains various components necessary for germination. While these are beneficial nutrients for our bodies when cooked and consumed, during alcohol production—when rice undergoes fermentation—the proteins, fiber, and minerals interfere with a clean taste and contribute to hangovers. Therefore, the more bran layer is removed, the more pure starch remains, resulting in a cleaner-tasting soju with less hangover.
A Consistently Clean Taste with 13-Milled Domestic Rice
Damso uses domestic Korean rice milled to the 13th degree, removing approximately 15% more bran layer compared to standard white rice milling (9-11 degrees). This is the first such approach among Korean distilled spirits, using only the starch layer of the rice to produce a clean, pure taste. This ensures consistent quality and flavor regardless of rice harvest conditions, with a subtle aroma and smooth taste as its hallmarks.
Additionally, our proprietary aging and filtration methods create an exceptionally smooth finish. As a result, the perceived alcohol level is much lower than the actual content, and it is recognized for causing less hangover.
Rice that emerged through the darkness
