Hite-Jinro said Thursday that its family-size plastic-bottled soju reached an all-time high of 10.5 percent in its total soju sales in the first half of this year.

The nation’s largest beer and soju maker said the strong sales reflects the growing popularity of the family-size Chamiseul soju brand.

During the cited period, the company sold some 27.1 million boxes of soju, out of which plastic-bottled soju made up 10.5 percent, totaling more than 2.87 million boxes, according to the company‘s statement. Last year’s ratio was 9.4 percent.

The convenience factor of family-size plastic-bottled soju, rather than the original glass-bottled soju, is pointed as the reason behind its growing demand, company officials said.

“The popularity of plastic-bottled soju comes in line with the increasing number of people engaging in outdoor activities,” an official from Hite Jinro said.

The plastic-bottled soju comes in five different sizes (200ml, 400ml, 500ml, 640ml, 1,800ml).

By Kim Bo-gyung (lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)