North Kyusyu Sake and Shochu Awards 2024
1.Overview
The North Kyusyu (Kyushu) Sake and Shochu Awards are held annually by the Bureau under its jurisdiction (Fukuoka, Saga, and Nagasaki) with the aim of promoting advances in brewing technology and sake quality so as to assist the sound development of liquor industries.
The Awards drew 96 entries from 43 breweries in the Ginjo-shu category, 74 entries from 42 breweries in the Junmai-shu category, and 93 entries from 33 distilleries in the Honkaku Shochu category. Quality evaluations were conducted on September 11 (Honkaku Shochu), September 13 (Junmai-shu), and September 18 and September 20 (Ginjo-shu).
2.Method
Entries were assessed by quality evaluation on the following criteria.
| Category | criteria |
|---|---|
| Ginjo-shu | Does it have the refined fragrance, harmonious flavor, and balance of taste and aroma expected of a Ginjo-shu? |
| Junmai-shu | Does it have the refined fragrance, harmonious flavor, and balance of taste and aroma expected of a Junmai-shu at 20°C or 43°C? |
| Honkaku Shochu | Does it balance distinctiveness, aroma, and flavor considering the quality characteristics resulting from characteristics in ingredients (such as barley and rice), distilling methods, etc.? |
3.Numbers of entries
| Sub-category | Ginjo-shu | Junmai Ginjo-shu | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breweries | Entries | Breweries | Entries | Breweries | Entries | |
| Fukuoka | 12 (10) | 16 (14) | 14 (15) | 23 (22) | 20 (18) | 39 (36) |
| Saga | 10 (９) | 13 (11) | 14 (14) | 26 (22) | 16 (17) | 39 (33) |
| Nagasaki | ６ (５) | 10 (７) | ５ (６) | ８ (９) | ７ (７) | 18 (16) |
| Total | 28 (24) | 39 (32) | 33 (35) | 57 (53) | 43 (42) | 96 (85) |
Numbers in previous year shown in parentheses (same as below)
| Serving Temperature | Warmed | Room Temperature | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breweries | Entries | Breweries | Entries | Breweries | Entries | |
| Fukuoka | 11 (10) | 12 (11) | 17 (19) | 23 (25) | 20（21） | 35（36） |
| Saga | ７ (10) | ８ (12) | 16 (11) | 21 (16) | 17（15） | 29（28） |
| Nagasaki | ３ (３) | ３ (４) | ５ (４) | ７ (５) | ５（５） | 10（９） |
| Total | 21 (23) | 23 (27) | 38 (34) | 51 (46) | 42（41） | 74（73） |
| Primary ingredient, etc. | Barley | Rice | *Other ingredients | ** Matured shochu | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distilleries | Entries | Distilleries | Entries | Distilleries | Entries | Distilleries | Entries | Distilleries | Entries | |
| Fukuoka | ９ | 17 | ３ | ５ | 13 | 22 | ８ | 14 | 18 | 58 |
| Saga | １ | ２ | １ | ２ | ０ | ０ | ０ | ０ | １ | ４ |
| Nagasaki | 11 | 16 | ０ | ０ | ５ | ８ | ８ | 12 | 14 | 36 |
| Total | 21 | 35 | ４ | ７ | 18 | 30 | 16 | 26 | 33 | 98 |
*Entries made primarily from other ingredients are broken down as follows (distilleries/entries):
sake lees(6/10), sweet potato(6/9), grains(1/2), sesame seeds(1/2), tea(1/2), buckwheat(1/1), potate(1/1), shiso(1/1), pumpkin(1/1), carrot(1/1)
** Entries are broken down as follows (distilleries/entries):
barley(13/22), including stored in barrel(5/7), sweet potato(2/3), sesame seeds(1/1)