Honor Prize Recipients

Ginjo-shu Category :  17Manufacturers

Ginjo-shu by Kanazawa-yeast Category :  13 Manufacturers

The Kanazawa Regional Taxation Bureau Sake Awards 2020 were held for Ginjo-shu (see Note 1) entered from among sake manufacturers of the three Hokuriku prefectures. This year's sake quality evaluations, which were conducted between March 18and March 23, considered 132entries from 45manufacturers in the Ginjo-shu category, as well as 77entries from33manufacturers in the Ginjo-shu by Kanazawa-yeast (see Note 2) category.

Based on the results of the quality evaluation, 17manufacturers for the Ginjo-shu category and 13manufacturers for the Ginjo-shu by Kanazawa-yeast category were selected as winners of the Honor Prize. The Regional Commissioner presented the manufacturers and chief sake brewers with award certificates. For the names of the winners, etc., please refer to the attachment “List of Prize Winners”

• Note 1. Ginjo-shu refers to sake brewed slowly at low temperature under the so-called Ginjo-zukuri (Ginjo-making) method with highly polished rice. Sophisticated technologies play a role in managing the treatment of ingredient rice, yeast selection, koji-zukuri (koji-making), fermentation, as well as in storing, bottling, and shipping. With a quality tantamount to a work of art, the finished sake presents a pleasant, fruity aroma.
• Note 2. The "Kanazawa-yeast" mentioned for this event is a yeast strain that was selected in the past at the Kanazawa Regional Taxation Bureau as a superior yeast for sake brewing. With a record of prevalent use, the strain is said to produce sake with a calm aroma and a smooth, sharp taste with fullness of body. The entries to the Ginjo-shu by Kanazawa-yeast category comprise those brewed solely with Kanazawa-yeast.

Review

This brewing season was characterized by a historically warm winter with little snow, and as such was a year that required scrupulous attention to temperature management during production.

Under such conditions, thanks to the unsurpassed technical skills by the the toji (the sake brewmaster) and manufacturing staff, this year's season of Hokuriku sake has proven excellent quality.

Many sake entries to this year's Sake Awards were meticulously brewed using the finest ingredients. With flowery bouquets and a crisp, clean taste that still managed to showcase the delicious flavor of the rice, they were without exception sakes of refined quality.

I fully expect that these high-quality, refined sakes will earn high acclaim from a great many consumers, and together with the richness of our culinary traditions, such as seafood sourced from the Sea of Japan, will in many ways contribute to the further enhancement of Hokuriku's reputation.

Director
Office of Analysis and Brewing Technology
Kanazawa Regional Taxation Bureau