NASUNG Sool Co.
NASUNG Sool Co. is an independent craft spirits brand based in Fullerton, California, making soju.
About NASUNG Sool Co.
NASUNG Sool Co. is an award-winning small craft winery in Fullerton, California, specializing in traditional Korean sool (술), including makgeolli and soju, brewed entirely in-house. Every bottle is made in small batches from only three ingredients: in-house nuruk, sweet rice and water. No additives, no flavoring, no shortcuts.
In March 2025 NASUNG opened its winery and tasting room in Fullerton, one of the fastest-growing Korean communities in California. As a proud Korean-American company, NASUNG is driven to honor the rich legacy of Korean culture and the generations of immigrants that came before, and to cultivate community through its craft. "NASUNG is our homage to the resilient immigrant spirit, and to the generations before us that dared to dream."
NASUNG's makgeolli won gold and its soju silver at the L.A. Spirits Awards in both 2022 and 2023.
The Founders
David Faulk was born in Pohang, South Korea, and raised in Angang, a small country village outside Gyeongju. His mother, from the Korean countryside, met his father, a U.S. Marine deployed in Korea. Because his parents moved between military bases, his grandmother raised him, and he grew up as the "half white Korean kid" in the village.
He later moved to America, earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Systems Engineering, and worked at Boeing and LA Metro while serving six years in the Marine Corps, brewing beer as a hobby all along. While drinking commercial makgeolli for the millionth time, he set out to recreate the makgeolli he remembered from childhood. He gathered his grandmother's recipes and spent almost two decades home brewing sool. After failing repeatedly, he found that his own nuruk created a makgeolli that felt like home.
"Founding NASUNG was literally his identity in a bottle."
How NASUNG Sool Co. makes its spirits
Every NASUNG product starts with in-house nuruk, a naturally fermented starter that brings wild yeast and beneficial bacteria to each batch, combined with premium sweet rice and locally sourced, reverse osmosis purified Fullerton water. The Classic Makgeolli is unfiltered and unpasteurized, a living product that keeps developing complexity in the bottle.
NASUNG's craft soju is distilled from that Classic Makgeolli using the traditional method, then triple distilled and filtered, with no additives, adjuncts or added sweeteners. The team embraces traditional techniques and uses modern innovation to ensure quality.
Details
- Location
- Fullerton, CA
- Founded
- 2021
- Website
- nasungsool.co
- @nasungsoolco
Gallery
Meet the Team
David Faulk
Founder, Head Brewer & Distiller
20+ years of brewing and distilling experience, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. in Systems Engineering, and six years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Preston Gegenfurtner
CFO & Co-Founder
CPA and MBA with 20 years of experience in accounting and finance roles.
Tenny Park
CMO
25+ years of brand marketing and advertising experience with Nike, VANS, Red Bull and Wieden+Kennedy.
Jaemo Lee
Operations & Events
15+ years in media and technology analytics; joined NASUNG as a partner to lead operations and events.
Spirits by NASUNG Sool Co.
5 expressions
NASUNG Matcha Makgeolli
NASUNG Horchata Makgeolli
NASUNG Coffee Makgeolli
NASUNG Classic Makgeolli
