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Distillery Ki One conquers international competition with whiskey Unicorn
Ki One's Unicorn won the Worldwide Whiskey Trophy at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London, Sept. 4. Courtesy of Ki One
By Ko Dong-hwan
Whiskey distillery Ki One conquered the global whiskey market in a major international competition in the United Kingdom, proving the competitiveness of the Korean brand over rival firms worldwide.
The company on Sept. 4 won the Worldwide Whiskey Trophy at this year’s International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) held in London for its Unicorn whiskey, one of the company’s three signature brands. The winning bottle was selected for entry from the company’s production line, not a specially prepared item for the competition, Ki One said.
Bryan Do, CEO of Ki One Distillery in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, said Friday he didn’t expect to win an IWSC award for at least another three years, considering his company’s comparatively young age. It began production in 2020.
“We all screamed when IWSC declared our brand as the category’s winner,” Do said during a press conference. IWCS, established in 1969, sees more than 4,000 brands from over 90 countries every year. “It was my dream. I guess I have achieved it earlier than I thought. The achievement also means a lot because IWSC is notorious for strict testing.”
Do said IWSC, one of the three largest competitions for the industry, is known for evaluating candidate brands carefully, testing products as fairly as possible among competitors. This year, the competition featured seven candidates.
“I get another shot in November when the San Francisco World Spirits Competition will announce a winner in its own global category,” Do said, referring to another renowned global competition for whiskey brands. “I think I have a chance to win that as well. If I do, that would be two out of three, meaning Ki One will encounter a serious volume of rising demand from worldwide.”
Unicorn, alongside Tiger and Eagle, are Ki One’s top global sellers, marketed as “true Korean whiskey.” The lineup sells well at duty free shops and at United States Forces Korea military bases.
Following the IWSC award, Ki One received a spike in orders for export. The company currently exports to 14 countries including the U.S., the United Kingdom and Japan.