Pioneering South Korean craft beer and whiskymaker Craftbros is set to release its highly anticipated third set of its JEGI Friendship series featuring blended spirits that blend Craftbros' own South Korean single malt with the spirits of its various fellow distillers, spurring a rare spirit of camaraderie amongst the domestic and global distilling scene!

Named after the beloved South Korean childhood toy, Jegi, an anchored weight bound to colourful and striking streamers that is to be kicked from one player to the other with the goal of keeping it in the air, Craftbros has sought to bring the world of distilling that much closer by reaching out to various distillers, from local South Korean artisanal Soju makers like Soorok and Hwasimjujo, to distinguished craft whiskymakers such as fellow South Korean pioneer Kim Chang Soo, to Sweden's High Coast.

"When I was young, I used to play Jegi with my neighbourhood friends and relatives around the Lunar New Year. When I played Jegi, the Jegi that fell down looked like a flower. I don't know if it was because Jegi was really shaped like a flower and looked pretty like a flower, or because I enjoyed playing with my friends as a child and so it looked pretty like a flower.

These days, I get along well with friends who make whisky. When I have fun with friends from other distilleries and drink whiskies that each of us has made, we often mix and drink our own whiskies. I also want to make a more delicious whisky by blend single malt whiskies. That’s what playing together is all about.

Making delicious whisky is fun, blending each other’s whiskies with distillery friends is fun, and tasting and enjoying whisky is all fun. It’s like having fun together while kicking Jegi."

Saburomaru's Takahiko Inagaki (left) with Craftbros' Eddie Jooho Kim.

We've been fortunate to get front row seats to the past two editions of the JEGI series and have been thoroughly impressed by each expression's distinctiveness and ingenuity! Find reviews of the first JEGI set (Kimchangsoo Korean Double Malt & Soorok IPA Newborn) here, and the second JEGI set (High Coast Double Malt & Hwasimjujo IPA Newborn) here. We are confident that this third set will prove just as impressive!

And so for its third set of release, Craftbros is working with cult followed Japanese whiskymaker Saburomaru and also bringing back a now peated IPA Newborn with local artisanal Soju maker Soorok.

Saburomaru Distillery x Craftbros Brewery & Distillery (사부로마루 증류소 x 크래프트브로스 양조장&증류소) JEGI Double Malt Peated Whisky

This is a blend of Saburomaru's Peated Japanese Single Malt aged in Bourbon Barrel and Craftbros' Unpeated South Korean Malt aged in First-Fill Oloroso Sherry Hogshead, that is then bottled at Cask Strength of 56.8% ABV (500ml).

Saburomaru was resurrected and is today helmed by 5th-generation Takahiko Inagaki. Although Saburomaru Distillery has long operated in its Toyama Prefecture home since 1952 under the name Wakatsuru Shuzo, and has produced its own whiskies such as the Sunshine Whisky, it was only in 2017 that Inagaki-san had decided to fully refurbish the distillery and pursue Japanese single malt making at full speed, most ingeniously helping to create the first ever Japanese-made ZEMON pot still.

| Read: Saburomaru's Takahiko Inagaki: The Quiet Rebel Revolutionising Japan's Whisky Landscape 

Official Tasting Notes

Aroma: Eucalyptus, quince, pear, coconut, stone fruit, blueberry, pine nut, macadamia, vanilla, nougat, cocoa nibs, chamomile, light smoke, peat.

Taste: Floral, soft peat, fresh pear, banana chip, vanilla, dark brown sugar, condensed milk, gentle smoke.

Finish: Cardamom, hazelnut, dark chocolate, lingering peat.

It is priced at 179,000 Won (US$125.40).

Craftbros JEGI IPA Newborn Soorok Peated ( 제기 이파뉴본 수록 피트 크래프트브로스 x 수록)

This is the second collaboration between Craftbros and local South Korean artisanal Soju maker Danong Bio's Soorok. Presented here is a blend of Soorok's distilled Soju that has been aged in PX and Tawny Port Wine Casks with Craftbros' IPA Newborn and also Peated Malt Newborn which has been aged in Oloroso Sherry Casks. This is therefore a three part blend, which Craftbros has stated required careful planning to pull off and is also the first of its kind, not just in Korea but globally. According to Craftbros, the IPA Newborn component serves as the central axis of the blend which establishes its direction, with the Soorok component adding depth and texture, whilst the Peated Malt Newborn adds length of finish and balance, stating that "this is a complex yet well-balanced whisky, revealing new layers with each sip. As this is a novel approach, we anticipate its potential to expand into new categories in the future."

It is bottled at Cask Strength of 56.8% ABV (375ml).

Official Tasting Notes

Aroma: Hibiscus, bay leaf, geranium, lychee, melon, coconut, almond, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, ember, and soft charcoal.

Taste: Herbal citrus, acai berry, apricot, mangosteen, pistachio, chamomile, meringue, and subtle oak.

Finish: Lily, acacia, chamomile, acai, banana chips, roasted sweet potato, grilled corn, and gentle peat smoke.

It is priced at 119,000 Won (US$83.40).

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team