In this study, a novel yeast, Y111-5 for Makgeolli manufacture was selected from Nuruk yeasts, and its optimal culture condition were investigated. The Y111-5 strain was identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae by phylogenetic analysis of 18S RNA sequence. The maximal growth was obtained when the yeast was cultivated at 30oC for 15 h in the medium containing sucrose 9% and yeast extract 5%.