Tea Leaves
Japanese spirit introduced in colonial times outlasts political upheavals
Left: A photo from 1935 of Chosen Brewery, founded two decades earlier by Japanese brewer Kinzo Nishihara in what is now Nonsan, South Korea. Right: An ad for Baekhwasubok, the country’s best-known sake, whose roots trace back to the brewery. (Source photos by Chosen Distillery Association, Lotte Chilsung Beverage)
DON HUH
December 12, 2025 08:00 JST
South Korea is in the midst of what locals are calling a “sake era.” Bars are being stocked with chilled bottles labeled ginjo, junmai and daiginjo — names given to varieties of the spirit in Japan — and young drinkers can be heard discussing rice-polishing ratios and regional styles with surprising sophistication.