Ki One’s Korean whiskies gain global traction

Ki One's signature whiskies at the company's tasting event at a lounge bar in Seoul's Mapo District, Wednesday / Courtesy of Ki One

Whisky distiller Ki One is enhancing the global reputation of Korean whiskies by winning a series of honors at prestigious international spirits competitions.

While Korean whiskies have rarely gained significant recognition either abroad or domestically, the Namyangju-based company is shifting the narrative. Korean American Bryan Do, who founded the company in 2018 and built its distillery in 2020, said people in Korea can now enjoy world-class single malt whiskies without relying on imports.

Since releasing its first whisky in 2022 following a maturation period, the company has won 47 awards at major international competitions, including the industry's "Big 3" — the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC), the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) and the International Spirits Challenge (ISC).

Ki One’s latest achievements came after the IWSC announced its results earlier this month. Unicorn, one of the company’s three signature whiskies, received a prestigious Gold Outstanding award. The other two flagship offerings, Tiger and Eagle, earned Silver and Bronze, respectively. Additionally, Batch 6, the latest release in the company’s batch series, was awarded Silver at the same event.

This year has seen Ki One winning plenty of other awards. Not only at SFWSC and ISC, the signature lineup and Batch 6 edition clinched honors at Tokyo World Spirit Competition, World Whisky Award and Icons of Whisky.

Ki One CEO Bryan Do joins a whisky tasting event hosted by the company at a lounge bar in Seoul's Mapo District, Wednesday. Behind him are Ki One's signature lineup of whiskies. Courtesy of Ki One

So far this year, Ki One has claimed 20 awards.

The distiller emphasized that the accolades were awarded to its regular, consistently produced whiskies that are readily available at local retail outlets — not limited-edition releases produced in small batches for a short period.

“It proves that global whisky experts have bought our philosophy behind the quality of our whiskies,” Do said. “Their recognition is beyond the title of ‘Korea’s first whisky.’ It means our whiskies have qualities acknowledged by the global spirit competitions. We aren’t interested in emulating Scotch or Japanese whiskies. We want to place Korean whiskies alongside those global majors.”

By the end of last year, Ki One was storing 4,500 oak casks at its distillery, which is located atop a mountain in the Hwado area of Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. The distillery is exposed to Korea’s distinct seasonal shifts, with temperatures ranging from over 30 degrees Celsius in summer to below minus 20 in winter. Do said this extreme climate plays a crucial role in shaping the character of Ki One whiskies, as the dramatic temperature swings cause the oak casks to expand and contract intensely, drawing out deeper flavors from the aging whisky in a shorter period of time.

Today, Ki One whiskies are widely available across Korea, stocked in convenience stores, supermarkets and duty-free shops.