Hmmmm... my dojang never had a preferred soju but I do.
My favorite is probably Cham I Shil (참이슬)Here
Also Green is good too (site)
and I just tried 처음처럼 ... not bad site
They all taste pretty much the same... gulped down in a nice big soju glass, accented with some fine roasted meat or anju (especialy tooboo kimchee) and drank in the company of good freinds or at leats co-workers... it's all good.
And so very cheap in Korea but not here in the US or Canada
I too had no idea... gasp... I mistakenly thought it was Korean sake... it's not. Similar but not the same. I've now got to run out and get some. Though if it's anything like sake... it's hangover maker.
Yup - soju is made from grain, rice or especially sweet potatoes.
It is very cheap (much cheaper than beer) and packs a good punch (more than beer). The flavor ranges from nearly tasteless to a slight "rubbing alcohol" flavor. Koreans tend to pour it in small glasses for their friends (slightly smaller than a shot glass, and you never pour your own). Then you say "Kombai" and slug it down in one gulp.
If you really want to show someone you like/respect them, you can give them your emptied glass, pour a shot for them and have them drink it out of your glass (then they return and fill it up and so on). For many Koreans, they have a very long work week with long hours at the job and then frequent "mandatory" socializing after work. So... going out to a restaurant together, eating some meat and pounding soju for an hour or so gets everyone loose, drunk and having fun in a very short time so you can make it home and get some sleep before work the next day. It's actually quite fun...
For everyone else, I was surprised to find people replying and being confused about what soju is. So what do y'all throw down instead at dojang meetups?