Taste Testing Craftbros x Kimchangsoo IPA Gimpo Kim & IPA Gimpo Po Korean Whisky & Distilled IPA Blend

It's not everyday that an entire new category, industry and country is unlocked, yet when it does happen, those once in a lifetime early chapters present something incredibly precious - the freedom of a completely blank canvas. South Korea's whisky scene is just that, and for that reason, makes it such an interesting landscape to watch - and in all honesty, remains completely under the radar.

Now the reality is that the very reason everyone loves the classics - take Scotch for example - is that it's reliable, it builds upon itself, it's easily recognisable and well-defined. Everyone knows everyone. And that allows for an incredibly resilient industry that can play into its capacity to dig deep and produce whiskies that test the boundaries of its own definitions, for example, producing some of the world's oldest aged whiskies that are tethering ever closer to the century-mark. Think about it, till this point, the world has never before produced a whisky that has been aged in oak for 100 years, but in just a matter of a handful of years the Scotch producers will. It's an achievement that no one else can pull off.

The first ever Korean single malt made with local barley is underway!

Yet, at the same time, these very definitions - where everyone already knows what the styles are inside and out, and have come to expect it - are also what disallows total experimentation. Sure, it's possible to tweak one or two things here and there, with the occasional exotic cask thrown in for good measure. But the reality is that its producers are in many ways a prisoner to their own heritage and legacy. Ask any whiskymaker and they'll tell you that it's simply not possible, or even desirable by fans themselves, for them to colour too far outside the lines. Could they do it? Possibly. Will they ever do it? Next to never. Consider that this is the same industry that just last year, disallowed one of its historic Speyside producers from labelling its spirit "whisky" just because it had used maple syrup casks. Nevertheless, it's fairly accepted that these rules and regulations exist for the greater good and that certainly has substantial value.

Now, South Korea's whisky scene is about all of 6 years old. For reference, Scotch whisky is over 500 years old, Irish whiskey is more than 800 years old, and Japan's just recently crossed the 100 year mark. Yet, it's certainly not starting from ground zero by any means. Its pioneering distillers have had the ability to learn from whiskymakers abroad, accrue skills through well documented processes, with also a whole wealth of science to back it up, and of course a global supply chain to tap on. At the very foundational level, this means that its distillers are able to hit the ground running. Yet, more importantly, given the still nebulous nature of the very young landscape, this also means that its handful of producers are able to also decide what the playing field should look like, what is possible, and also define what the nature of their dynamic could be. Will South Korea's whiskies be known for a single national style or will each producer lay claim to its own signature? Will its producers be collaboratively collegiate or will they be broadly cooperative yet keep an arm's length from one another? It's entirely in the making right now, and is again why the country's whisky scene makes for such a compelling watch.

(Left) Craftbros' Kang Ki-Moon with Kim Chang Soo showcasing their spirits at the major Whisky Talk Fukuoka; (Right) Craftbros' Master Distiller Eddie presenting his latest creations.

At this juncture, with a few producers having already had their whiskies out to market, with others closely following, the South Korean whisky scene has taken perhaps its first move towards formalisation, with the establishment of the Korea Whisky Association, today counting three founding members representing Ki One Distillery, Kimchangsoo Distillery and Craftbros Brewery & Distillery. With some familiarity with all three houses, it's definitely easy to state that what they certainly have in common is a strong desire to see the Korean whisky scene grow, and their commitment to quality, yet interestingly at the same time with each pursuing a different strategy. That said, perhaps the most creative and also more collaborative of them most certainly has to be Craftbros.

Having followed closely Craftbros from their hoppy IPA making days (which is still alive and well!) to their now early years into whiskymaking, with their big 3 year milestone just around the corner where their spirits will then fully qualify as whiskies by international standards, every release working towards that watershed moment has been completely unique, and at the same time incredibly fraternal! They've produced distilled IPA's (using their famous IPA beers), tried their hand at a diverse variety of casks, are working to incorporate as much of local ingredients as possible with native Korean oak and barley to be used, also made spirits that blend multiple categories of spirits (such as cask aged soju with their distilled IPA's), produced world blends, and have gone on an illustrious streak of double malt collabs with both local peers and international distilleries, working with the likes of Sweden's High Coast and Japan's Saburomaru, to produce iterations of South Korean-Swedish blended malt whiskies and South Korean-Japanese blended malt whiskies - strikingly, they've all shown themselves to be incredibly impressive! Everything they've done thus far has brought fun, conviviality and community to the emerging South Korean whisky scene!

Kim Chang Soo and Craftbros' Kang Ki-Moon.

Yet, perhaps one particular bond seems to be that much dearer to the folks at Craftbros. That is, with their fellow Gimpo distiller, Kimchangsoo. Kim Chang Soo is of course best known for his inspirational heroes journey, having travelled across Scotland in search of a distillery to apprentice at, with the hope of one day making his own whiskies in South Korea. As the story goes he would find little success and just as he was about to leave Scotland, he would serendipitously encounter folks from Japan's renowned Chichibu Distillery, where he would later train at before eventually fulfilling his dream of establishing a whisky distillery in South Korea. As it so happens, both Kimchangsoo and Craftbros would find themselves in Gimpo, about a 30 minute drive northwest from Seoul, which made it easy for the two pioneers to bond over their shared love for whisky, often mixing their own whiskies together and tasting them. This became the basis for Craftbros' JEGI series - a collection of collaborative friendship bottlings that blend together Craftbros' spirit with that of their peers - which in its debut produced South Korea's first double malt Korean whisky.

The first Craftbros x Kimchangsoo collab!

Nevertheless by 2026, Kimchangsoo Distillery was readying its move to a larger distillery in Andong, having for years juiced out every bit of its small artisanal distillery that made the most of what it was able to put together independently in its early years - the same early years as it were for the South Korean whisky scene as well! And so perhaps as a keepsake of their time together at Gimpo, the two distilleries had planned a second collaboration, this time making something completely unique once again, a blend of Korean single malt from Kimchangsoo and cask-aged distilled IPA from Craftbros! Another all-Korean spirit, yet one that's never been done before.

Two blends were thus made on the same basis, and were initially named Gimpo Gimpo, in reference to their shared location, as well as Kimchangsoo's flagship Gimpo whisky, yet would ultimately be called Gimpo Kim and Gimpo Po, to reflect one expression's higher distilled IPA content than the other. 

Let's give them a taste!

Review: Craftbros x Kimchangsoo IPA Gimpo Kim 크래프트브로스와 x 김창수 이파 김포김

A blend of South Korean single malt whisky from Kimchangsoo that's been aged for 4 years and 6 months in Spanish new oak, with distilled IPA spirit from Craftbros that's been aged in Bourbon casks for 2 years and 6 months. This is bottled at 55.7% ABV.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Copper

Aroma: Immediately complex, with wafts of smoke melded with a spread of red currants, candied roast meats, peaches, rose petals, orange blossoms and hop flowers. It’s at once savoury, vibrantly fruity, herbal and musky. Unpacking it, there’s also pineapples, grapefruit and apricots, mixed in with haw and cranberries, drops of cough syrup, with also earthy tones of leather and brown sugar. There’s a delicate and subtle canvas of custard, with also overtones of woody mustiness of rackhouses.

Taste: Medium-bodied, it’s candied with a well-integrated mix of orange zest, peaches, grapefruit, rose petals, with also delicate tart red fruits of pomegranates and cherries. Texturally rich and oily, really creamy too. With light flecks of roast meats and herbal cough syrup. Citrus oils come through, with also some leather and walnut oil, with also a salty savouriness of black olive tapenade. At the back is this vibrant, higher toned radiance of florals and citruses, with streaks of musky hops.

Finish: Herbal and rich through the finish, those brown sugars and leather eventually give way to sweet dried red currants and prunes, with still those beautiful rose petals, and also that touch of cough syrup. Some savouriness too of dried fruits, with also a rancio nuttiness and some light oak grain. The finish is clean and lightly dry, with a persistent ashy smokiness, wrapped up in candied maltose and brown sugar, alongside lightly tart red currants and cherries. Further down lychees and lime leaves reveal themselves too.

My Thoughts

This was lively and dynamic, with a whole party of flavours that carried much energy and verve. It's higher toned and lighter than the Gimpo Po, with a good vibrance and excitability about it. On the nose, it's immediately complex and eclectic, with a mix of red currants, tropical fruits, herbal, savoury and musky tones, floral and fruit yet paired with an earthiness. It gets alot more citrusy on the palate, with still that duotone savouriness and herbal quality, here more diverse, with the various dimensions showing development. This all carries through the finish where it gets more perfumed with a touch of rancio that contrasts with the richness. Incredibly long finish that only gets more fruity and floral. That refined and polished earthiness from the Spanish oak really shines through here!

Review: Craftbros x Kimchangsoo IPA Gimpo Po 크래프트브로스와 x 김창수 이파 김포포

A blend of South Korean single malt whisky from Kimchangsoo that's been aged for 4 years and 6 months in Rioja red wine casks, with distilled IPA spirit from Craftbros that's been aged in Bourbon casks for 2 years and 6 months. This has a higher distilled IPA spirit content than the Gimpo Kim. This is bottled at 54.8% ABV.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Amber

Aroma: Firmer and also more delicate, with richer tones brown sugar and red currants. Wafts of vine peaches and musky, leafy hop flowers, with undertones of tropical fruits of pineapples and also apricots. Deeper layers of earthiness of leather, tobacco and polished oak. It’s a concentrated and more defined contrast of vibrant fruits versus richer, earthy tones.

Taste: Medium-bodied, richer and more luscious, it comes through first with a rush of sweet brown sugars and savoury burnt sugars that’s punctuated with quick nips of concentrated red fruits of hawthorns and red currants. This then fans out to show exotic fruits of lychees and pineapples, along with a leafy and herbal bit, as well as flecks of cough drops.

Finish: That sweet richness persists, with the red currants marking a return. Some savouriness of teriyaki too, with then herbal cough syrup and a touch of rancio as well. Slight bit of bitterness. Rich yet clean finish, with then a super deep warmth that progressively builds. 

My Thoughts

Here we find something more resolute, richer and deeper. The aromas are more delicate, yet very elegant, slowly unfolding to reveal those red currants, tropical fruits and musky florals, backed up by a charming earthiness of brown sugars, leather and tobacco. It's more concentrated, more rounded, and moves more unhurriedly. The body is really luscious and mouthfilling, with a mix of sweet and savoury, tart red fruits, that then gradually expands to those exotic tropical fruits, with a gentle herbal tone. It's more easygoing, straightforward and also very charismatically confident. The richness nicely carries through the finish, here with a touch of rancio, that all ends off with this amazing warmth that builds and takes a hold of you. Incredibly compelling!