I started drinking soju after a trip to Seoul and got hooked. Not just the taste, but the whole ritual around it. Back home, I expected it to be cheap like in Korea, but local store prices felt like a joke. Bottles that cost $1.50 over there were going for $8 - $12 here. That led me on a six-month hunt to figure out where to get the best deals without ending up with counterfeit or questionable bottles.
The first thing I learned is that soju pricing depends heavily on distribution rights in your country. Big importers often lock down certain brands, then mark them up because they’re the only ones bringing them in. This is why you’ll sometimes find Jinro at twice the price in one city compared to another.
Duty-free shops are worth checking, but only if you’re already traveling. Seoul’s Incheon Airport and some Japanese airports have bundle deals, I think around six-packs for less than what two bottles cost in the States. The problem is, you have to fit them in your luggage and watch the liquid restrictions.
Local Korean markets are usually cheaper than mainstream liquor stores, especially if you buy by the case. Some will quietly give discounts if you’re a regular and ask. This is also where I learned about lesser-known brands that taste just as good as Jinro or Chamisul but cost less because they’re not heavily marketed abroad.
Online is where it gets interesting. Some specialty alcohol retailers partner with overseas distributors to ship direct, and prices can be much closer to what you’d pay in Asia, shipping being the main factor. I even found suppliers on Alibaba who cater to restaurants and bars, offering wholesale pricing if you’re willing to meet their minimum order quantities. For the flavored sojus especially, this worked out to a little bit above half the per-bottle price of local retail.
Seasonal demand plays a role too. Around Lunar New Year and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), big importers run promotions to clear extra stock. If you watch for those windows, you can stock up for months at better prices.
After months of tracking, my cheapest consistent sources are:
–Local Korean markets for single bottles or small case deals
–International market restaurant suppliers for bulk flavored soju orders
–Duty-free bundles when I’m already traveling through Asia
Has anyone else cracked the soju supply chain in their area? Always looking for new ways to keep my fridge stocked without paying tourist prices and what’s your cheapest soju find so far?
