
Sowon fresh makgeolli, like Taean at sunset
A light pour between smooth yogurt and a gently sweet, nutty rice drink follows the color of the coast into one bottle.
Choose a city and we will lead you to one bottle to find there, followed by a story to read before you go.
Start with a city, choose a bottle, and follow it to the story of the neighborhood where it was born.

A light pour between smooth yogurt and a gently sweet, nutty rice drink follows the color of the coast into one bottle.

Walk the Geumjeongsanseong road and begin with a bottle brewed in the old fortress village.
Explore Busan first
An 8% fresh makgeolli brewed with traditional nuruk in Geumseong-dong, Busan.
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Read how the village road and traditional nuruk meet in one bottle.
Continue to the story
Follow the fields and stone-wall villages of Gujwa and western Jeju to find drinks rooted in the island’s farms.
Explore Jeju first
A 12% takju made with Jeju buckwheat and rice, carrying the landscape of the fields in one bottle.
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See how Jeju farm ingredients become two different drinks.
Continue to the story
Look beyond the city to Dalseong and Gunwi, where the names and brewing places of Daegu makgeolli come into focus.
Explore Daegu first
A light 7% takju brewed at Dalseong Brewery beneath Biseulsan.
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Compare how alcohol level and glutinous-rice ratio shape two bottles from one brewery.
Continue to the story
Before visiting the Baekje sites, meet the chestnut orchards and two breweries behind Gongju’s different bottles.
Explore Gongju first
A 6% chestnut makgeolli with the soft sweetness of Gongju chestnuts.
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Separate similar-looking bottles by brewery, alcohol level, and sales route.
Continue to the story
Follow small breweries through Seongsu, Mapo, and Jung-gu for a different view of Seoul.
Explore Seoul first
A fresh makgeolli made by fermenting Seoul rice three times without sweeteners.
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Meet the small breweries making contemporary makgeolli in their own ways.
Continue to the story
After walking Hanok Village, experience Jeonju’s makgeolli culture, where the table arrives before the bottle.
Explore Jeonju first
A low-alcohol drink simmered with cinnamon and ginger, served with a meal.
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Find out why the food and order of drinking can outlast the bottle in memory.
Continue to the story
From Mudeungsan to Dongmyeong-dong, meet drinks named for the mountain and the neighborhoods around it.
Explore Gwangju first
A 6% regional makgeolli enjoyed in Gwangju restaurants and markets.
See this bottle
See how a drink’s name, brewery, and way of meeting it can change within one city.
Continue to the storyA regional journey starting with makgeolli
Travel through Korean cities
with makgeolli as your guide.
Walk through brewery neighborhoods and look for the drinks made there. Discover makgeolli from Busan, Jeju, Daegu, Gongju, Seoul, Jeonju, and Gwangju.
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