I have drunk the most
sublime soju in the company of intelligent and thoughtful Korean people.
On a final family meal in Seoul (which my hosts had lovingly prepared over the space of a day), and to which distant relations were summoned to dine with an embarrassed guest of honour (me), the head of the family placed a bottle of fine soju on the dinner table with great care and circumstance.
Through translation, he explained to me that this was called Hashimoto soju, as it was specially created by master brewers to serve to the first great rapproachment meeting between the heads of government of Japan and Korea. The bottle itself was a thing of extraordinary beauty, being hand-thrown ceramic and painted in gold in the hand of the greatest of all Korean caligraphers.
The liquor was magnificent, drunk in small ceramic cups even by a family member who was practically teetotal.
It was a happy night. I gained a terrific respect for Korean soju from that experience, and I have gratitude to my hosts for the insight I recieved.