Minhwa Spirits

Overview

An Asian American-owned, grain-to-glass, craft soju distillery in the United States, but our story actually starts a generation ago in a small village on an island off the coast of South Korea. It was on this sleepy farmland that James' uncle made makgeolli in the makeshift brewery connected to the family home. Over many years, he'd hone his techniques and recipes without modern tools or machinery. It was an old-world makgeolli in its truest form. Minhwa is a form of traditional Korean folk art created by largely anonymous artists without formal training popular during the Joseon Dynasty. The literal translation being 'painting of the people' this type of art was a free expression to celebrate joyous occasions and often times used to ward off evil spirits. Known for using bright colors, irreverent forms, and humor, the paintings often shed an optimistic view on life and the future. Many of the common subjects in the paintings show up on our very own labels as an homage to the genre.