Thanks to the efforts of Young Pioneer Tours’ Rowan, in today’s segment of “Made in North Korea” we will be exploring North Korea’s brand new Samilpo Whiskey drink! The YPT guide was able to purchase it in Pyongyang and reveal it to the world yesterday. So today, moving on from our coverage of Winnie the Pooh Chips, we’re now going to explore this exciting new product as part of our ever growing coverage of items manufactured in the DPRK!
First of all, what is Samilpo? Samilpo is in fact the name of a lake in North Korea. Lake Samilpo is located in Gangwon Province to the country’s softwest, close to the DMZ and South Korea. A famous sanctuary for birds and nature reserve, the lake is iconic for being part of the country’s wider Mt. Kumgang resort, which is a scene of iconic beauty and symbolism for the DPRK. The symbolism of Mt. Kumgang has been frequently featured on North Korean products, such as a bottle of water named after it. Thus its newest incarnation comes in the form of Samilpo Whiskey!
So what are the characteristics of the product itself? There are two variations of it, red and black. The reported alcohol content is 42% and 40% respectively. Don’t worry though, it doesn’t come as expensive as luxury scots brands being priced reportedly at the equivalent of just 15%, so it’s quite affordable. Obviously the quality is likely to be somewhat behind its internationally renowned counterparts. Regardless though, Sampilo Whiskey is the latest in a growing series of domestically produced goods in the DPRK, a sign of the country’s market and consumer expansion despite the impact of international sanctions!
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