Hite Jinro launches plum-flavored soju in US

South Korean liquor maker Hite Jinro said Wednesday that its low-alcohol fruit-flavored soju Jinro Plum will be sold in the US from this month.

The company is betting on its fruit liquor series following the success of Jinro Grapefruit and Jinro Green Grape launched in 2016.

Jinro Plum, which has alcoholic content of 13 percent, is the third in the fruit soju series. It has been developed exclusively for export, the company said. 

Buoyed by global popularity of the fruit liquor, Jinro America, the US branch of Hite Jinro, saw sales of $23 million last year, up 10 percent on-year. Over 4.3 million bottles of the Jinro fruit series were sold abroad last year, according to the company. 

“With our new flavor added to the export product lineup, we will continue to target local consumers in the US with fruit liquor by analyzing their drinking patterns and local trends,” said Hite Jinro’s head of overseas business division Hwang Jung-ho. 

(ddd@heraldcorp.com)