Review: Seltzers of Hello Soju, Complete Lineup

Korea fervor has given soju a moment of late, so it’s natural that soju would find its way to the ready-to-drink seltzer world. Hello Soju is currently offered in five flavors — many evoking the flavors you’ll find with regular soju from Korea — each made with a combination of real soju, grain neutral spirits, fruit juice, and natural flavors.

Each is 7% abv.

Hello Soju Peach  – The big surprise of the quintet: This one’s sweet and peach-adjacent, but mercifully short of candylike. While it never approximating an actual peach you might, you know, eat, it does have a fun and fizzy flavor that lifts it up enough for easy drinkability and enjoyment. This expression is unique in that the flavoring agent masks the industrial qualities of the underlying soju almost completely, which is a huge plus in this lineup. B+

Hello Soju Asian Pear  – Similar in tone to the peach expression, with a brightly fruity attack that, again, is short of overtly sweet but indistinct as to what fruit is attempting to express. If I had to pick, I’d say it’s nearest to apple in tone, though the flowery notes of fresh pear do percolate up into the nostrils. As with the peach expression, the fruitiness keeps any off notes from the underlying alcohol out of view, offering a clean, refreshing finish. B+

Hello Soju Lychee – A natural companion to any Asian-inspired beverage, the lychee makes a powerful entrance here right from the start, popping off right away with its bright tropical-floral character, just like those brainy lychees popped straight from the jar. The earthy-ruddy soju underpinning the beverage is more visible than expected given the fruity attack, but it all comes together agreeably enough. Fortunately I really like lychee, otherwise this might have hit differently. B

Hello Soju Lemon Yuzu – I was expecting a bolder citrus tone from this expression but was happy to see it wasn’t blown out at all. The lemon notes are mild — though not particularly visible as yuzu — with more of an herbal lemongrass character lingering on the finish. That bitterness may be driven more by the underlying soju than the flavoring element, but it does at least provide a gentle cleansing quality to what is otherwise a fairly straightforward, uncomplicated RTD. B

Hello Soju Green Grape – Yep, grape Jolly Ranchers immediately come to mind, making this one of the most candylike expressions in the lineup. While extremely sweet on first sip, it does calm down after a few seconds of sitting on the palate, where a more industrial note slowly comes into view. It’s kind of welcome given the fruit bomb of an attack, but the longer it sits on the tongue, the more an aftertaste of crushed aspirin starts to take hold. C+

each $15 per four-pack of 12 oz cans

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