[Provided by North Gyeongsang Province]
[Provided by North Gyeongsang Province]

North Gyeongsang Province has established a domestic single malt whisky production base in Andong, marking a full-scale push to develop high-value-added food industries using local agricultural products and to grow the K-whisky sector.

The province announced Tuesday that the Andong Distillery of Kim Chang-soo Whisky Distillery Co., located in the North Gyeongsang Biotech Secondary Industrial Complex in Pungsan-eup, Andong, has been completed and is entering full-scale production.

About 120 people attended the completion ceremony, including Hwang Myeong-seok, administrative vice governor of North Gyeongsang Province; Lee Yeong-tae, dean of the graduate school at Gyeongguk University; Bae Yong-su, vice mayor of Andong; and representatives from the liquor industry, retail buyers and investment firms.

Following the ceremony, attendees toured the manufacturing facility, equipped with the latest production equipment, to observe the whisky-making process and assess production capabilities. They also shared ideas on development strategies linked to the region's agricultural and food industries.

The Andong Distillery was built at a total project cost of 12 billion won ($7.83 million), covering a total floor area of 2,109 square meters and fitted with state-of-the-art distillation and aging equipment. With an annual production capacity of 140 kiloliters — roughly 200,000 bottles based on 700-milliliter units — the facility is expected to establish a stable production base for domestic single malt whisky and strengthen the industry's competitiveness.

Kim Chang-soo Whisky Distillery Co. was founded by Kim Chang-soo, South Korea's first Korean single malt whisky distiller. The company has earned recognition for quality and brand strength in the premium whisky market, with its flagship Gimpo Edition selling out entirely.

The Andong Distillery has also built a locally sourced raw-material supply chain, using barley grown under contract with farms in Yecheon. Spent malt from the production process will be supplied as feed to nearby livestock farms, creating a resource-recycling production system.

North Gyeongsang Province expects the distillery to serve as a sustainable regional cooperation model — boosting consumption of local agricultural products, raising farm incomes, reducing waste through byproduct recycling and lowering the environmental burden.

"The completion of the Kim Chang-soo Whisky Distillery's Andong Distillery marks a new starting point for nurturing high-value-added food industries using local agricultural products and building a resource-recycling industrial ecosystem," Hwang said. "We will actively support North Gyeongsang Province in establishing itself as the hub of South Korea's K-whisky industry."


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com