'Time Premium' gifts capture the value of time

Nampa Gotaek's "200-Year Family Soy Sauce Gift" (79,000 won) (Lotte Department Store)
Nampa Gotaek's "200-Year Family Soy Sauce Gift" (79,000 won) (Lotte Department Store)

Lotte Department Store said Thursday it is introducing a differentiated gift set line called "Time Premium."

In the meat category, 360-hour aged Hanwoo beef stands out. Collaborating with Suksudoga, an aged-meat specialty store that has made the Michelin Guide for six consecutive years, the department store introduced the Suksudoga Aged Sirloin and Tenderloin Set (1 kilogram total, 390,000 won ($291)) and the Suksudoga Aged Sirloin and Strip Loin Set (1 kilogram total, 350,000 won).

Products from black pork specialty brand Sukseongdo are also featured. The Sukseongdo Black Pork Set (2.3 kilograms total, 169,000 won) uses pork belly, neck and bone-in sirloin cuts from a native Korean black pig breed restored through 25 years of research by the National Institute of Animal Science, wet-aged for 168 hours.

In the liquor category, Lotte Department Store prepared whiskies aged more than 30 years. The Ardbeg The Abyss (40 million won), distilled in 1989, comes in packaging illustrated by comic artist Trad Moore. Limited quantities of the Johnnie Walker 40 Year Old Masters Ruby Reserve (36 million won) and The Macallan 40 Year Old Red Collection (32 million won) are also on offer.

There is also the "200-Year Family Soy Sauce Gift" (79,000 won) from hansik brand Nampa Gotaek. The soy sauce has been passed down for 200 years at the head house of the Park Gyeong-jung family in Naju, South Jeolla Province, with each generation topping it up with fresh soy sauce. The department store also prepared doenjang, gochujang and sesame oil gift sets from food masters Gi Sun-do, Seong Myeong-rye and Jo Jeong-suk.

Yang Seong-jin, head of Lotte Department Store's fresh food division, said, "Lotte Department Store will strive to find that special touch that can offer customers a new gourmet experience through our holiday gifts."

The high-end whisky Ardbeg The Abyss (Lotte Department Store)
The high-end whisky Ardbeg The Abyss (Lotte Department Store)

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