Ki One Korean Single Malt
Cask Strength Release 2025 | 56.9% ABV
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
Surprisingly good whisky from a non traditional whisky producing nation
Whisky Improvisation.
It’s become somewhat of an annual retreat for the McAtear household, to hop to a nearby country for a few days in January to reset after a busy end of year, and refresh for the upcoming one.
Last year we went to Singapore, this year we decided to visit Seoul in Korea for three days.
But right until two days before departure, Seoul was not the destination, the city hadn’t crossed either of our minds at all, the destination was always going to be Taipei in Taiwan.
Mrs McAtear had been to Taipei so frequently that it’s almost like a second home, no research needed, no need to worry about metro cards, we’ve got plenty of local cash, sim cards, etc., Taipei would basically be pick-up-and-go, and for three days of shopping, eating, rinse-and-repeat it would suffice. The missus had even gone on a day trip once and managed to buy a large cup of bubble tea and some local street food for me when she came home at night.
The plan was to book our flights and hotels and everything else can be improvised once we land. That was until two days before departure when we tried to secure our customary visas, there was an issue. To put it short, I was denied a visa.
There’s nothing sketchy involved, I promise that I’m not a fugitive, there’s no wrongdoing, but a quirk in the Taiwanese immigration policies and a quirk in my own situation created a political paradox. I’m not able to enter Taiwan legally, not until I comb out a wrinkle from my end.
Mrs McAtear was not happy. She had been looking forward to this little trip, and since the prohibitive quirk was mine and not hers, I had the responsibility to get it fixed. I landed on Seoul as an alternative, an upgrade I’d even dare to say. Although, to pull of this upgrade with only two days of preparation wouldn’t be so straightforward.
Seoul, compared to Taipei, is a very different beast, in more than one way. The two of us have been to Seoul a combined once - Mrs. McAtear had been there ten years ago - so none of this pick-up-and-go business.
When planning for Taipei, we expected similar weather conditions to Hong Kong, which is very pleasant at this time of the year. Seoul's conditions are not so similar. While the temperature in Hong Kong was dancing around the 13°C mark, Seoul was projected to be blowing winds of closer to 0°C. Instead of bringing an empty suitcase for the missus’ eagerly anticipated shopping spree, the extra space is now used to bring more heavy duty clothing.
The first two days were colder than expected, instead of the anticipated 0°C, the temperature was mostly on the colder side of freezing, but we were still able to cope with what we had. In the late afternoon though, we received a warning on our phones, a cold weather alert was issued for the third day; a quick check on the weather forecast confirmed our fears - temperatures would reach -9°C.
We were not prepared for such conditions, so with a bit of careful deliberation, we changed our plans. Instead of strolling down the streets of Seoul, we pivoted to a plan that was indoors focused. We would visit a mall, and watch a show called The Painters (not sure whether the painters part referred to the show or the performers, but it doesn’t matter), what a fantastic, artistic, creative, interactive, entertaining show. Most importantly, we were sheltered for another 75 minutes!
After the show we went back to our hotel to pick up our suitcases before heading to the airport for our flight back. During our ride to the airport, I reflected on what could have been. I loved my experience in Seoul, but from a whisky perspective, Seoul is not Taipei, not even close.
One of the reasons I looked forward to Taipei was its whisky scene, which is known to be one of the best in Asia. The bars, the specialist shops, and the bargains that can be found. Geoff on Gwhisky often comments that he’s lucky to be living in Taiwan, a country with some of the best prices for whiskies. Korea on the other hand, especially compared to Taiwan and Japan, is not really famous for its whisky scene. In truth I know for a fact that Koreans come to Hong Kong to buy whisky because the prices are better. With that, I knew I won’t be bottle hunting in Korea, I didn’t even bother to look for shops where I could potentially find something interesting.
Then, very surprisingly, travel retail came to the rescue.
Review
Ki One Cask Strength, Korean Single Malt Whisky, Batch 7, May 2025 release, 56.9% ABV
US$84 paid (£62) discounted
As is customary, the first stop after the security check at the airport would be to look at the duty free whisky selections, and the usual suspects from yesteryear are still very much around. After much browsing, I was ready to pull the trigger on the Sherry Bruichladdich, before one shelf caught my eye, just in time, the Ki One shelf.
Ki One is produced by the Three Societies Distillery - although I think the distillery has since been renamed the Ki One Whisky Distillery - and it prides itself as being the first single malt produced in Korea. Within their ranks is master distiller Andrew Shand, former master distiller at the Speyside distillery - who also helped design and build the Virginia Distillery - so they are not exploring blindly, there is expertise within the organisation.
Ki One as a name appeared on my radar a few years ago, but with no access to the liquid it slipped to the back of my mind and it didn’t come back to my attention until this airport encounter.
On the shelves were four bottles, none of which were age stated. In order of ABV: an unpeated expression matured in new oak and ex-bourbon casks, bottled at 43% ABV; another unpeated expression matured in sherry and wine casks, bottled at 46%; a peated version with maturation details not displayed on the label, bottled at 46%; and finally a cask strength version, matured in ex-bourbon casks. There’s no mention of the status of chill filtration or the presence of added colour.
Naturally, I went for the cask strength version, not because I wanted a cask strength whisky, but the other three each had their own deterrents, so I was left with the Cask Strength. There was a deterrent for this bottle too; it’s almost 60% more expensive. But I’d rather take a gamble on specs than pick the cheaper option with weaker specs. Speaking of taking a gamble, buying a bottle of Ki One itself is a gamble, I haven’t heard anyone in the mainstream talk about this whisky, quite possibly for the reason that it’s being perceived as mediocre new age Oriental whisky. But, as the rare opportunity presented itself, I was happy to gamble and hopefully introduce a new frontier of whiskies to Dramface readers.
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
Surprisingly good whisky from a non traditional whisky producing nation
Nose
Sharp and sour, very dominantly zesty lemon, mildly herbaceous, the vanilla notes from the first fill bourbon barrels are very faint, sort of feels more akin to something from a refill barrel.
Palate
Very fizzy mouthfeel, forget about the elegant effervescence from the likes of Loch Lomond, this is sharply fizzy, like a fresh lemonade, and it’s not even balanced by a bit of sweetness, just lemon all the way. A coastal salinity makes its presence felt, not much on the development disappointingly, but maybe I shouldn’t be expecting too much complexity from this young whisky, finish felt short at first, but after a while the bitterness is still lingering, interesting finish.
The Dregs
When I bought this bottle, I expected it to be a dud. What a unique whisky in an intriguing way.
The Ki One Distillery only laid down their first cask in June of 2020, meaning that their oldest whisky can be no older than five and a half years old, and this whisky, being bottled in May of 2025, could at most be just shy of five years old, or even younger, depending on when it was distilled.
Also, as a distillery, they started on the wrong foot in my opinion. From memory, they released their first couple of whiskies at 40%, which were probably chill filtered and with that, suspicion of added colour. However I think they have since corrected their course and now bottle most of their expressions at 46% or above. Without a declaration, it doesn’t guarantee they don’t chill-filter or add colour, but at least they are moving in the right direction.
Unlike their neighbour Japan, Korea doesn’t have a rich history in producing whisky, Ki One is their first distillery, that was the reason for my low expectations. I simply bought this bottle because it was available at the airport and it’s unlikely that I’ll come across it anywhere else. Having tasted it, though, I’m left to wonder if not having a history - with no traditions to uphold and no baggage to carry - actually worked to their advantage.
I am pleasantly surprised at the quality of this whisky, and I’ll certainly be on the lookout for more whiskies from Ki One further down the line.
Score: 6/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. MMc
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