Chamisul Fresh Soju drops alcohol content to 16 percent as public demands lighter drinks

Hitejinro's Chamisul Fresh Soju [HITEJINRO]

Hitejinro lowered alcohol content of its flagship soju, Chamisul Fresh, in line with consumers' growing preference for lighter drink options.

The Korean liquor producer lowered the drink's alcohol content from 16.5 percent to 16 percent by volume after extensive testing with consumers, the company announced in a release Tuesday.

The less alcoholic product will hit shelves starting Wednesday.

Chamisul launched in 1998 with 23 percent alcohol. The “Fresh” brand was introduced in 2006, which lowered the product's alcohol content to 19.8 percent. The drink eventually reached 16 percent alcohol, by volume, through continuous updates.

Lotte Chilsung Beverage launched the 'Chum-Churum' brand, with 20 percent alcohol content, in 2006. The brand also unveiled 'Searo,' a no-sugar soju at 16 percent alcohol by volume, in 2022.

The latest renewal also increased usage of bamboo activated charcoal from four to five times. Additionally, the package design features a font resembling bamboo, with the dewdrop color darkened to a deeper shade of blue.

The new design is specific to Chamisul Fresh, while Chamisul Original (20.1 percent alcohol by volume) and Jinro (25 percent alcohol by volume) remain unchanged.

Since 1998, Hitejinro has sold approximately 39 billion bottles (based on 360-milliliter or 12-ounce bottles) of its Chamisul products, which translates to around 15 bottles sold per second.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]