1. Please introduce ‘House of Heritage’.

House of Heritage is a brand that introduces alcoholic beverages featuring authentic Korean flavors and the aesthetic of Hanok to the world. The brand’s name is derived from the word ‘Rakkojae,’ which means ‘a house to enjoy the ancient’. House of Heritage reflects our aspiration to inherit the spirit of Korean traditional culture and become a brand that creates products for a global audience.

2. Is there a back story to the developing of KORI Gin?

I believe Korean alcoholic beverages lack a competitive edge because they are not only difficult to explain to foreigners, but also so unfamiliar to foreigners that they wouldn’t know how to enjoy these drinks once they bring them back to their home countries. I wanted to come up with a drink that is exotic yet familiar to Koreans, and Korean yet familiar to foreigners. We chose gin because most people know how to enjoy gin, allowing us to add Korean characteristics by using Korean ingredients. To embody such spirit, we even named it K-Origin, or KORI Gin (with gori meaning ‘ring’ in Korean), symbolizing a link between East and West.

3. What aspect did you focus on the most while developing the product?

Since it’s an alcoholic beverage, of course, the most important factor was flavor, but after that was design. For consumers, their standard of choice before tasting the product is the design. Therefore, we applied high-quality packaging that is both Korean and global. This includes a tile-colored Western medicine bottle, a wooden cap inspired by traditional hanok, a paulownia wood box, a traditional Korean folk art label featuring juniper berries to symbolize gin and Korean ginseng to symbolize Korea, as well as an eco-bag that adopts the bundling method of bojagi, a unique Korean wrapping technique.

4. There must have been challenges during the production process

We sought to develop a contemporary-style gin while embodying Korean flavor and scent that can captivate gin enthusiasts around the world. This involved thousands of experiments to find the desired taste. Since this was uncharted territory and nobody could show us the answer, the production process itself was very challenging.

5. Was there any memorable moment for you during the contest?

The moment that stands out the most was when the judges nodded in agreement while I explained our brand philosophy and design elements during the in-person evaluation. That was the moment I realized, "aha! We are on the right path!

6. What are the future plans and goals for House of Heritage?

Moving forward, we will continue to strive to expand the KORI Gin brand globally and launch various alcoholic beverages with the same philosophy. As part of this effort, we are currently developing KORI Korean Rice Vodka, using Yongin Chamdream rice as the main ingredient