Seoul to host whisky festival

An event to help turn South Korea into a nation of whisky-lovers is to be held this month.

The Whisky Live international road show will come to Korea for the first time on Feb. 27. More than 2,000 people are expected to attend the event boasting more than 100 products from over 40 whisky brands. Attractions will include samplings, whisky master classes, VIP sessions, bartender awards, as well as music and cultural performances.

Since it was launched in 2001, the world’s premier whisky festival has been held in 23 cities including Asian capitals such as Tokyo, Shanghai, Taipei, and Singapore.

Now, whisky suppliers in Korea are seeking further expansion in the country’s lucrative liquor market with the help of the festivity of whisky tasting, education and entertainment.

Korea is already the world’s 6th-largest importer of Scotch whisky ― bringing in around $178 million worth of it a year ― but suppliers believe there is room for further growth in the market.

Jackey Yoo, Whisky Live organizer for Korea, said the event would help Koreans see the “friendly face” of whisky and help brands gain more exposure.

“Korean whisky culture faces some challenges as this is a society with no mature whisky background. Many Koreans’ traditional view on whisky is that it is expensive and powerful,” he said.

“We need to give Korean consumers an education on what whisky is and how to enjoy it. There are many people who are interested in whisky, but not all people know how to drink it.”

Kim Tae-ho, marketing manager for Maxxium Korea, an importer of super-premium Scotch whiskies to the country, said he thought Korea’s cultural attitude toward whisky was gradually changing.

Kim, who will be taking single malt Scotch whiskies such as Macallan, Laphraoig, Highland Park and Glen Rothes to the show, said: “Whisky is a drink that is closely related to high incomes ― as our country’s wealth increases so can our whisky drinkers.

“We hope to raise the profile of our whiskies not only through the consumers attending the event but by media coverage and people talking about Whisky Live in Korea. We hope it will become an annual event that will grow bigger each year.”

Whisky consumption in Korea ― including both Scotch and bourbon, both of which are to feature in the show ― has more than doubled over the past 10 years. Korean drinkers enjoyed nearly 25.8 million liters of whisky in 2009 compared to 10.4 million liters in 1999, according to the National Tax Service. However, consumption of the spirit still falls far behind more traditionally-enjoyed Korean drinks. Some 2 billion liters of beer were sold in 2009, along with nearly 930 million liters of the locally ubiquitous soju, which currently accounts for 97 percent nation’s hard liquor sales. Whisky holds a less than a 1 percent share of the market.

Yoo added: “Soju is the Korean people’s friend of their daily life, we want to show them the friendly face of whisky too.

“Right now, some people don’t want to drink whisky because they see it as an expensive luxury item with high alcohol content ― unlike better-known Korean drinks such as soju or makgeoli.

“Whisky Live is a unique opportunity for Korean consumers to meet the people who make whisky and to make the product more accessible. We now have a culture for appreciating wine ― we want to create the same for whisky.”

Scottish distillers recently welcomed a pledge in the recent Korea-EU free trade agreement to remove Korea’s 20 percent import duty on Scotch whisky over the next three years. They hope the move ― to be gradually implemented after the FTA takes effect in July ― will help them grow their share of the Korean liquor market. The deal will also protect Scotch whisky against imitations being passed off as Scottish.

A Scotch Whisky Association spokesman said: “Tariff elimination in South Korea has been a key SWA trade priority for a number of years and an issue we’ve pursued both in Brussels and Seoul.

“It is a welcome boost for Scotch whisky exports in what is already a major market for Scottish distillers.”

The Whisky Live event is to be held at the Grand Intercontinental Hotel. It is organized by U.K.-based Whisky Magazine and sponsored by Visit Scotland, Scottish Development International and the Whisky Society of Korea. Tickets are available online until Feb. 20. at www.whiskylive.co.kr.

By Kirsty Taylor (kirstyt@heraldcorp.com)