Every soju you are likely to see in the United States, sorted by what it actually is — the cheap green bottles, the fruit bottles, and the expensive distilled ones. With real ABV numbers, because they matter more than the label does.
1. Diluted soju — the green bottle
This is what people mean by “soju.” A neutral spirit base is diluted with water and lightly sweetened. Clean, faintly sweet, easy to drink with food, and cheap — typically $5–$8 for 375 ml at retail.
| Bottle | ABV | What it tastes like |
|---|---|---|
| Chamisul Original · the default | 20% | The benchmark. Clean, slightly sweet, a touch of bite. The one to judge everything else against. |
| Chamisul Fresh | 17.2% | Softer and smoother than Original. The most common bottle in Korea. |
| Jinro Original | 20.1% | A revival of the old-style recipe — a little rounder, a little sweeter. |
| Jinro 24 | 24% | Noticeably stronger. Not a beginner bottle. |
| Chum-Churum Original | 17.5% | Lotte’s green bottle. Reads slightly smoother than Chamisul to most first-timers. |
| Chum-Churum Mild | 16.8% | The gentlest of the standard bottles. |
| Good Day | 16.9% | From Busan. Light and clean; big in the south of Korea. |
If you are buying one: Chamisul Fresh or Chum-Churum. Both are soft enough to drink neat and cheap enough to experiment with.
2. Fruit soju — the way in
Lower in alcohol, sweeter, and now roughly half of Korea’s soju export value. For most Americans this is the actual entry point, and there is nothing wrong with starting here.
| Bottle | ABV | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chamisul fruit range (grapefruit, peach, green grape, plum) | 13% | The widest distribution in the U.S. Green grape is the safest first bottle. |
| Soonhari (peach, apple, strawberry, yogurt) | 12–14% | Sweeter and more playful. Yogurt is the strange-but-good one. |
| C1 Grapefruit | 14% | Tart rather than candied. |
See the full fruit soju guide for what each flavour actually tastes like.
3. Distilled soju — the expensive kind
This is the older tradition: rice distilled and left alone, with nothing added. It costs several times what a green bottle costs and tastes nothing like it — rounder, grainier, closer to a fine white spirit or a young whisky. Drink it slowly, not in shot glasses.
| Bottle | ABV | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hwayo 17 / 23 / 25 / 41 | 17–41% | The best-known premium distilled range. 25 is the usual starting point; 41 is a sipping spirit. |
| Tokki White | 23% | Rice-based craft soju, made in the United States. Clean and grain-forward. |
| Tokki Black | 40% | Barrel-aged. Reads closer to whisky than to soju. |
| Ilpoom Andong Soju | 21–40% | The traditional Andong style, one of Korea’s oldest. |
| Pungjeong Sagye | 25% / 42% | Craft distilled, seasonal releases. |
4. Made in America
A small group of producers now make soju in the U.S., aimed squarely at drinkers who did not grow up with it.
- Tokki Soju — rice-based and barrel-aged craft soju. The bottle to try once you know the category.
- Yobo Spirits — American-made soju with an active following in cocktail bars.
- Hello Soju — canned ready-to-drink soju. The lowest-commitment way to try soju at all.
So which bottle do you buy?
| If you… | Buy |
|---|---|
| have never had soju | Chamisul Fresh (17.2%) or green grape fruit soju (13%) |
| like vodka or dry sake | Chamisul Original (20%) |
| do not like the taste of liquor | Any fruit soju, or Hello Soju in a can |
| are eating Korean BBQ | A classic green bottle — never fruit |
| want to see what soju can actually be | Tokki White or Hwayo 25 |
| are mixing cocktails | Any classic green bottle — it behaves like a low-strength vodka |
Brands and importers
If you import or produce soju sold in the U.S. and your bottle is not on this page, send it to us — we will add it. Sponsored new-product features are also available.
Get in touchABV figures compiled from published brand data via Locohol’s 2026 soju ABV guide and producer information. Percentages vary slightly by market and release — always check the bottle. Sojuya is independent and not paid by any brand listed above.