[THE INVESTOR] Local brand Golden Blue has maintained its No. 2 spot in Korea’s whisky market in the first half of the year, the company said on July 7.

The brand which was released in 2009 by a fledgling Korean distiller based in the southeastern port city of Busan, has been increasingly widening its base among whisky lovers who prefer a mild taste and affordable price tag.

The Korean whisky maker said its sales surpassed Pernod Ricard’s Imperial in December for the first time to take second place, and it has since kept the spot in the first half of this year.

A total of 260,000 boxes of Diageo’s Windsor was sold in the first six months, accounting for 32.5 percent of the local whisky market, according to the data compiled by the Korea Liquor Import Association.

Golden Blue came next with 165,000 boxes to take up 20.6 percent, followed by Imperial with 138,000 boxes at 17.2 percent, the association said.

“Golden Blue is the only whisky brand that marked a two-digit growth for three consecutive years, while the domestic whisky market has been on a downturn over the past eight years,” the company said.

Golden Blue imports an undiluted solution from Scotland and mixes different aged whiskies to create the desired flavors.

Unlike a typical whisky with a Scotch label and 40 percent alcohol, the liquor in the dark blue bottle has 36.5 percent alcohol content and does not show its age on its package.

Since its debut, Golden Blue has immediately made a splash in the market as younger consumers prefer low-alcohol whisky, and Scotch whisky fell out of favor amid the prolonged economic slowdown.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)