Whisky makers compete over low-alcohol whiskies

Whisky makers are competing against each other in low-alcohol whiskies amid a new trend in liquor consumption among South Koreans.

Golden Blue, a homegrown whisky released in 2009 by a fledgling Korean distiller based in the southeastern port city of Busan, said it plans to release Phantom The Original, a whisky with 35 percent alcohol, on Friday.

Low-alcohol whiskies have gained ground in South Korea since late 2009, when the local distiller released Golden Blue with 36.5 percent alcohol content.

Lotte Liquor Co., a liquor unit under South Korea's conglomerate Lotte Group, released Black Joker Mild, a whisky with 25 percent alcohol in July.

William Grant & Sons Korea Ltd. joined the fray by releasing Green Jacket, a whisky with 36.5 percent alcohol in April.

Pernod Ricard Korea, a local unit of the French distiller, reportedly plans to roll out a low-alcohol whisky by the end of this year.

Sales of low-alcohol whiskies increased 48.5 percent in the first nine months of the year from a year earlier, according to industry data, a sign that South Koreans prefer low-alcohol whiskies.

"Whisky makers are expected to release various low-alcohol whiskies as people avoid whiskies with more than 40 percent alcohol and enjoy drinking at home," an industry official said. (Yonhap)