New toast to Korean rice wine

Makgeolli is made from fermented rice and nuruk, a dough-like starter. Koreans have been brewing makgeolli at home for centuries. The drink was banned during a 35-year Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula that ended in 1945. Some makgeolli production resumed after fighting in the Korean War ended in 1953, but it was suppressed again as the government in Seoul grappled with post-war grain shortages.

Mass-produced makgeolli began appearing in South Korean grocery stores after the government fully lifted its restrictions on makgeolli brewing in the 1990s.

South Korea had 961 registered makgeolli businesses in 2020, up from 931 the year before and 898 in 2018. People in the industry say overall production has been growing steadily, partly because the government allowed online sales of Korean traditional alcohol from 2017.

Industry experts say the new demand for makgeolli is largely driven by young Korean professionals who see the drink - once known mainly as a tipple for Korean farmers - as a marker of cosmopolitan refinement.

Ms Han A-young, 33, a former bank administrator who opened the Hanayangjo makgeolli brewery in Seoul last year, said her brand sells for about US$10 (S$13) to US$14 a bottle - more than double the price of mainstream makgeolli in South Korean grocery stores. Her customers do not seem to mind, she said. ''They would pay for taste regardless of cost.''