Makkoli is one of traditional drinks favoured by the Korean people for ages. It has been called in different names, including thakbaegi, thakju, thakmaek, etc.

   Samguksagi (Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms), Samgukyusa (History of the Three Kingdoms) and other historical books recorded makkoli brewing, and the poems of Ri Kyu Bo (1168-1241) carried such names as pakju and paekju.

   Such expressions as thakju and makkoli began to be made from the period of the second half of Koryo dynasty.

   The name of makkoli originated from the fact that it was brewed without filtering out clear and cloudy liquid from the fermented porridge made of malt and rice.

   Though it had a lower content of alcohol than that of soju (a kind of liquor) and looked cream-coloured, it tasted refreshing and good, so the Koreans, men and women, young and old, liked to drink it as a soft drink during breaks of labour or on holidays.

   Thanks to the state’s policy on conservation of national heritage, the custom of makkoli brewing, which has been inherited from the period of Koguryo dynasty for thousands of years, is being carried forward not only in families but in public catering establishments and foodstuff factories.

   There are some variations of makkoli according to its producers and methods. Traditional makkoli is made of rice, glutinous rice, broken rice, etc.

   The custom of makkoli brewing was put on the list of national intangible cultural heritage as No. 3 on November 26, 2013.