1 Billion Won for Whisky Instead of Shampoo and Socks... Chuseok Gift Sets Take on a New Scale

Alcoholic Beverages Move to the Top,
Surpassing Daily Necessities

In the Chuseok gift set market at large supermarkets, the proportion of household goods such as shampoo has declined, while the presence of alcoholic beverages has grown.

According to Emart's comparison of gift set sales trends between ten years ago and this year, alcoholic beverage gift sets rose from eighth place in sales in 2016 to fourth place this year.

Yonhap News Agency

In 2016, the sales breakdown by category was canned goods (24.4%), seasonings (12.7%), household goods such as shampoo and socks (11.2%), and fruit (10.5%). Alcoholic beverages ranked eighth with 6.2%.

This year, canned goods (25.7%), seasonings (14.6%), fruit (9.7%), and alcoholic beverages (9.2%) took the top spots. While practical gift sets such as canned goods and seasonings continue to dominate, alcoholic beverages have rapidly climbed the rankings over the past decade.

Among alcoholic beverage gift sets, the popularity of whisky was particularly notable. From August 6 to September 22, the pre-order period for this year’s Chuseok gift sets, Emart’s whisky gift set sales increased by 22.2% compared to the same period last year.

Macallan Harmony Collection

Luxury department stores also saw significant demand for high-end alcoholic beverages. Ahead of Chuseok, Shinsegae Department Store introduced ultra-premium whiskies such as The Macallan 40 Years (32 million won), 50 Years (123 million won), 71 Years (180 million won), and 78 Years (220 million won). Among these, The Macallan 71 Years sold out quickly.

Lotte Department Store launched a rare wine collection, the “Chateau Margaux 11·12·13·14·15 Vintage Collection.” Wines priced in the 10 million won range, such as “Chateau Le Pin 15” and “Chateau Petrus 10,” sold out. Both Chateau Le Pin and Chateau Petrus represent the highest grade of wine from the Pomerol region of Bordeaux, France, and are highly sought after by collectors worldwide, explaining the quick sellout.

Hyundai Department Store is also selling ultra-premium wine—Petrus 18 Bottle Vertical Collection—and high-end whisky such as Balvenie 50 Years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.