Wihayo | The spirit of Korea with a Dutch spin
Wihayo, the traditional Korean receipt made with Dutch craftsmanship, is now available in the Netherlands. The premium distilled Soju is made from rice and contains a soft malty flavor. Wihayo is best to drink pure, but combines well in cocktails. The Wihayo produced in the Netherlands brings the best of two countries together: the age-old receipt from Korea and the Dutch expertise of distilling. The ingredients, a combination of fermented rice, grain, barley and natural sugars is tilled with a Dutch mill from 1785. Wihayo contains 19% alcohol.
Wihayo | Tradition
Drinking Soju together is very popular in Asia and is part of their culture. Nathalie Ji Yun Kranenburg, co-owner together with Dylan Griffith: “After a family visit to my home country, I was so impressed by the tradition around Soju that I couldn’t wait to introduced it in the Netherlands. After two year of cooperation with the best distillers I am very proud of the result. I was very keen to make an authentic Soju for the European taste and we succeeded”. Besides Asia, Soju is consumed by Japan and China.
Wihayo is derived from the word ‘Wihayeo’ what means ‘for you’, the sentence that youth in Korea says when toasting with soju. Traditionally you never pour yourself a Soju but always pour a Soju for your friends. The liquor is mostly paired with food.
Wihayo | East meets West
Nathalie Ji Yun Kranenburg developed Wihayo together with master distiller Ad van der Lee van distillery Herman Jansen. They used the perfect ingredients like rice from Korea in combination with Dutch grain. Ad van der Lee: “It is a complex recipe which demands a lot of research to come to a tasteful high-quality product. The soft taste with a smooth finish with a touch of jenever (Dutch Gin) gives the booze a special character which will be liked by the Dutch. On the website of Wihayo you can watch the movie of Ji Yun Kranenburg and the emergence of Wihayo, ‘the spirit of Korea with a Dutch spin’. Wihayo will be launched in Berlin, London, New York and Seoul in 2018.
Wahayo in recipes
SOJU TONIC
- 40 ml WIHAYO
- 100 ml East Imperial Yuzu Tonic
Starting with WIHAYO build in a highball glass over ice cubes. Garnish with apple and ginger slices in the bottom of the glass.
KIMCHI SHIM
- 40 ml WIHAYO
- 20 ml Akashi–tai yuzushu
- 100 ml Schweppes Premium Ginger Ale
- 2 drops Angostura bitters
- Kimchi salt
Starting with WIHAYO build in a highball glass over ice cubes, add bitters on top. Garnish with a slice of cucumber coated in kimchi salt on top of the glass.
KOREAN HEADBUTT (SOMAEK)
- 40 ml chilled WIHAYO shot
- A ‘fluitje’ or ‘half’ of Heineken
Sip (or shoot) WIHAYO and beer alternately.
Bron: Wihayo
