YOJU Wins Best of Show at the SF Ready To Drink Competition

YOJU’s Mango Yogurt Soju Cocktail has been crowned Best of Show RTD at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the world’s largest spirits competition. This year’s competition saw 487 unique products across 171 brands, in a sign of the RTD category’s growing popularity and diversity. Winning a total of 3 Double Golds and 1 Gold, YOJU is 2024’s most decorated RTD brand in competition.

Hailing from Los Angeles, YOJU is a line of soju RTDs inspired by a popular cocktail found at Korean restaurants that mixes soju, Asian drinkable yogurt, and fruit juices. If yogurt in a cocktail sounds strange, you’re not alone. The judges described YOJU as unlike anything else they’ve tried before. The novel combination results in a delicious and highly drinkable RTD in which the yogurt’s creaminess brings out extra juiciness from the fresh fruit purées inside. Imagine a creamsicle with 7% ABV.

YOJU was started in 2022 by industry newcomers Steven Tang and Kenn Miller with the goal of popularizing Asian flavors and spirits in the US. While drawing inspiration from Asia, its products are made in the US, with ingredients sourced and distilled domestically. They’re currently distributed in CA, DC, VA, MD, HI, and WA.