Visiting Our Nuruk Producer in Korea

Honouring tradition, learning from the source, and looking ahead

In April, we travelled to Korea to visit the people behind one of the most important ingredients of our rice wines at Yunguna: our nuruk producer.

Nuruk is more than an ingredient. It’s the fermentation culture at the heart of Korean traditional alcohol-making — and by extension, at the heart of what we do. It's also deeply rooted in place, shaped by local climate, grain, and time-honoured technique. Being able to witness its production firsthand gave us a better understanding of what it means to work with a living, cultural material.

 

What is Nuruk?

Nuruk is a traditional Korean fermentation starter made from grains — most often wheat — that are inoculated with naturally occurring molds, yeasts, and lactic acid bacteria. Unlike isolated yeast cultures used in many modern fermentations, nuruk is wild and diverse. It operates as a microbial ecosystem, initiating both saccharification (breaking down starches into sugars) and fermentation simultaneously.

Its use dates back over a thousand years, with historical texts documenting its role in the making of takju, yakju, and soju. Every region developed its own style of nuruk, with slight variations in grain, shape, drying conditions, and microbial composition. The result is a living tradition — one that carries the taste of its place and the intentions of its maker.

 

Visiting the Source

Our nuruk producer works on a small scale, using traditional techniques to make their nuruk. It is pressed into discs, and slowly fermented in fermentation rooms. The process is both precise and intuitive — shaped by season and temperature.

Spending time with them was a reminder of the kind of relationships we want to build at Yunguna. Ones based on trust, respect, and a shared curiosity for craft. This is slow work, and working with nuruk means accepting a degree of unpredictability. It’s about staying close to your intention — but letting go of total control. It asks for attention and honesty, and rewards you with something that feels deeply alive.

Nuruk's Future — and Our Responsibility

As interest in natural fermentation grows, nuruk is beginning to attract attention beyond Korea. We believe it has enormous potential, not just as a brewing agent, but as a carrier of culture and a model for sustainable, expressive fermentation.

At Yunguna, we keep learning from Korean traditions, not replicating but working with them — with full respect for their origin and meaning. We see it as a collaboration between past and present, between people, cultures, and microbes. One that is still unfolding.

 

With love,

Yunguna

Want to try our rice wines? Shop here