KI One, South Korea's first single malt distillery, is crafting a bold new future for Asian whisky

CNA

25-05-2025

On the slopes of Namyangju, just 40 minutes northeast of Seoul, a bold new chapter in Korean craft is quietly ageing in barrels. Surrounded by forest and the familiar soundtrack of summer cicadas, South Korea's first single malt distillery is redefining what craft looks like in this part of the world. Inside its hand-hammered copper stills and stacked barrel rooms, KI One is ageing more than whisky — it's maturing a new identity for Korean spirits.
This is the home of KI One (pronounced 'kee-won') Distillery. Elegant, bold, and distinctly Korean, KI One has captured the imagination of collectors and connoisseurs not just because it's the first single malt whisky made in the country, but also because the whisky is flavourful, complex, and produced with both technical expertise and emotional intention.
'I used to travel with Japanese or Taiwanese whisky as gifts,' said Bryan Do, founder of KI One, formerly known as Three Societies. 'And one day a friend asked, 'Why not Korean whisky?' That simple question stuck with me.' At the time, the idea of Korean whisky felt almost absurd. South Korea's alcohol culture was — and still is — dominated by soju, beer, and Scotch-style blends meant more for high-volume consumption than connoisseurship. But Do, a Korean-American with a background in craft brewing, saw an opportunity to challenge that. He didn't want to create a novelty bottle; he wanted to build something meaningful — something that would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's best single malts while remaining deeply rooted in South Korean soil and sensibility.
The location he chose was Namyangju, a region historically associated with clean air, pure water, and agricultural abundance. For Do and his team, one of the deciding factors was water. 'Our master distiller insisted on a clean source,' Do explained. 'We pump water from two private wells on-site, and it's used at every stage of production — from mashing and fermentation to dilution.' The master distiller is Andrew Shand, a veteran of the Scotch whisky world, who brings expertise from Glenlivet and Speyside. At KI One, he oversees a pair of gleaming Forsyth stills imported from Scotland. But even as the equipment mirrors that of a classic Scotch distillery, nearly everything else has been adapted to South Korea's unique climate and cultural context. 'We utilise a mixture of Korean yeast for our fermentation process and also some Korean malt and Korean oak,' Do explained.
Take the fermentation, for instance. While many whisky producers opt for a 48-hour to 60-hour ferment, KI One stretches theirs to 120 hours — doubling the standard and coaxing out a delicate, fruity character. 'We use Crisp maltings from the UK, but we also work with Korean yeast strains,' Do said. 'That combination, plus the long ferment, creates a floral and almost juicy new make spirit.' That spirit is then distilled, cut with precision, and transferred into a variety of barrels for ageing. The barrel programme is diverse: First-fill bourbon casks, Oloroso sherry butts, virgin American oak, wine casks, and increasingly, Korean oak — Quercus dentata, a native species known for its bold, spicy character. 'Korean oak behaves differently,' Do noted. 'It adds this earthy, almost herbal-like note that gives the whisky depth and distinction.'
And then there's the climate.
'We get minus 20 degrees Celsius in winter, and up to 38 in the summer,' said Do. 'That's a huge swing — way more than in Scotland or Japan. It accelerates the maturation process dramatically. You get more interaction between the wood and the spirit in a shorter period of time.' This means that while a three-year-old whisky might still taste green in cooler climates, KI One's expressions come out round, layered, and ready sooner than expected. Do originally estimated that their first commercial release would debut in late 2025. Instead, KI One launched at the beginning of 2023, three years ahead of schedule.
That first release revealed a bold but balanced character: Floral on the nose, spicy on the finish, with a clean structure and generous fruit notes in between.' It was, in short, not Scotch, not Japanese, but something new. 'If Japanese whisky is like miso — elegant and precise — then Korean whisky is more like doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste),' Do said. 'Bold, intense, and deeply layered.'
This philosophy has resonated especially well with South Korea's younger generation. 'Most of our local drinkers are under 32,' Do noted. 'And we've seen a surprising number of women engaging with the brand. That's huge for whisky.' In a country where whisky was once synonymous with old men in smoky bars, KI One is making it feel fresh — something to share, savour, and take pride in. Beyond the liquid, the packaging and presentation also reflect Korean craft values. One all-Korean edition — distilled with domestic water, yeast, and malt, then aged in Korean oak — was bottled in ceramics handmade by artisans from a historic pottery region. That release sold out in three minutes via lottery. Another upcoming expression is being aged in barrels that previously held bokbunja, South Korea's black raspberry wine. 'The bokbunja edition is now maturing and should be released at the end of this year or next, the whisky will tell us when it is ready. This is an exciting release for us as we are collaborating with a famous Korean traditional spirits maker and will make a uniquely Korean whisky, we think a Korean Sherry whisky!'
The branding has also evolved alongside the spirit. While early bottles featured 'KI One' prominently in English, recent releases now lead with the name in Hangul, placing the Korean identity front and centre. The bottles themselves are taller and more sculptural, standing out with quiet confidence on the shelf. It's a subtle but powerful shift: Not whisky from Korea, but Korean whisky — on its own terms.
Across Asia, the whisky map is shifting. Taiwan's Kavalan disrupted the industry in the 2010s with its award-winning single malts. India's Amrut and Paul John are earning global praise. Japan, once considered under-the-radar outside Asia until the 2000s, is now a whisky heavyweight. It's only a matter of time, Do believes, before South Korea joins those ranks. 'I think in 10 years, South Korean whisky will be its own category,' he says. 'We'll see more local distilleries, better infrastructure, and our own style — defined by clarity, complexity, and boldness.' Still, Do remains grounded in the day-to-day. One of his favourite personal details about the distillery? 'How good our new make spirit (the spirit before it is aged in barrels) is,' he said. 'In some distilleries, the new make spirit does not have a pleasant taste, but we've made something that tastes great before it even hits the barrel.'
On what his favourite expression is, he lamented that it's like choosing which baby to spend time with. 'Lately, it's The Eagle. That's our tribute to the classic single malts I drank when I first got into whisky. But in winter? I reach for our Peated Unicorn edition.' The former was awarded the Silver Medal, while the latter won the Double Gold Medal at the recent 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC).
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KI One has already collaborated with ceramicists, winemakers, and traditional soju producers to expand what South Korean whisky can be. 'We're not just creating products,' Do said. 'We're creating a culture around whisky — one rooted in care, community, and Korean identity.' That ethos is perhaps best captured in the Korean concept of jeong, a hard-to-translate word that blends warmth, connection, and emotional generosity. 'It's how we approach everything,' Do explained. 'Not just the whisky, but the way we work, collaborate, and share.'
When asked who he'd most want to share a dram of KI One with, Do didn't hesitate. 'My grandparents. They were so influential in my life. I pour whisky at their burial site during holidays, but I wish I could sit with them, pour them a glass, and say, 'This is from Korea. This is from us.''