Tokki Soju has taken New York by storm with the speed of a suped-up rabbit. Here’s how a Korean liquor born in Brooklyn got where it is today.
The creator is an American by the name of Brandon Hill. This guy has been completely obsessed with fermentation techniques for a while now, and in 2011 (the Year of the Rabbit), he moved to Korea to study their traditional distilling techniques at Kyonggi University. Not only did he fall in love with what he learned, but he also became enamored with the drinking culture in Korea — a culture in which friends pour for each other and treat the alcohol with the utmost respect. Upon returning to the states, he tried his hand as a head distiller at someone else’s company. The experience left him disappointed, however, as there was no traditional soju to be found.
So in 2016, he started Tokki. He knew he was onto something when Korean restaurants and the local Korean community accepted the drink. It’s made with American organic sticky rice, nuruk yeast and water. It’s pure, it’s relatively healthy and it’s extraordinarily delicious. And just in case you’re wondering, Tokki means “rabbit.”