November 6, 2019
Office of Analysis and Brewing Technology
Sendai Regional Taxation Bureau

• 1 Outline
• 2 Entry
• 3 Quality Examinations
• 4 Awards
• 5 Statistics
• 6 List of Prizewinners
  • (1) Ginjo-shu Category
  • (2) Junmai-shu Category

1. Outline

(1) About the Tohoku Sake Awards
 The Tohoku Sake Awards (Tohoku Seishu Kanpyokai) are held annually in the autumn under the auspices of the Sendai Regional Taxation Bureau. The purpose of this competition is to raise the technical level of sake brewers in the Tohoku region (i.e., Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, and Fukushima prefectures), thereby contributing to the sound development of the sake brewing industry in Japan.
 The sake brewers of the Tohoku region are well renowned for their first-class brewing techniques. Using top-quality rice, they use all their skills and effort to produce the best sake possible.
 Sakes submitted to the Tohoku Sake Awards are brewed with great care in winter and attentively left to store and mature in summer. After a stringent process including careful examination by a jury of experts, sakes of only the highest quality are selected. Prizes are given to the winning brewers at the awards ceremony.

(2) Review of 2019
 In 2019, 152 breweries submitted a total of 390 sakes to two categories; ginjo-shu and junmai-shu. The quality examinations were held in October, with 69 of the participating breweries aiming to win prizes. Certificates were then granted to the prizewinners of each category at the awards ceremony held on November 6, by the commissioner of the Sendai Regional Taxation Bureau.
 The Great East Japan Earthquake struck the Tohoku region in March 2011, and as a result many breweries suffered severe damage. However, sakes submitted to the Tohoku Sake Awards exhibited superb quality, supported by the brewing techniques found at Japan’s topmost-level. This fact indicates that the breweries of the Tohoku region have already taken a great step toward recovery, with their strong unyielding will.

2. Entry

(1) Qualification for entry
 Licensed sake breweries located within the jurisdiction of the Sendai Regional Taxation Bureau (i.e., Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, and Fukushima prefectures)

(2) Eligible sakes
 Sakes from the below-mentioned categories that were brewed at the entrant’s own production site between July 2018 and June 2019

(3) Categories
 Ginjo-shu and Junmai-shu, as stipulated in the “Labeling Standard for the Manufacturing Process and Quality of Sake” (NTA notice #8 in 1989)

(4) Number of entries permitted
 Each licensed sake brewery can submit up to three entries in total for the two categories. However, the number of entries for one category cannot be more than two.

3. Quality Examinations

(1) Schedule
 -Preliminary examination: October 2-4, 2019
 -Final examination: October 8, 2019

(2) Process
 The jurors assess the quality of each sample by sensory evaluation. All examinations are blind and administered by category. In the preliminary examinations, each sample is scrutinized for distinct attributes of aroma, taste, and appearance, to clarify a sensory profile. The samples are also given scores based on their overall quality. After this preliminary process, the highest scoring entries, which represent approximately half of the total entries, are selected for the final examination. In the final examination, the chosen sakes are once again judged and subsequently ranked by their overall quality. The award winners are determined based on their final rankings.

(3) Evaluation policy
Overall quality is determined based on the following style-based categories:
 - Ginjo-shu: well-balanced flavor, characteristic aroma, and delicate taste
 - Junmai-shu: refined flavor with umami (savoriness) and round texture

(4) Jury
Jurors were selected from a pool of experts, including:
 - Academics in the field of sake brewing
 - Staff members from the National Research Institute of Brewing (NRIB)
 - Staff members from prefectural brewing-related organizations
 - Sake experts and manufacturers recommended by the prefectural sake and shochu makers’ associations of the Tohoku region
 - Technical officers from the Sendai Regional Taxation Bureau

List of Jurors 2019

Abbreviations: GP, Ginjo-shu preliminary ex.; JP, Junmai-shu preliminary ex.; GF, Ginjo-shu final ex.; JF, Junmai-shu final ex.

4. Awards

 Entrants earning high scores in the final examination are awarded an honor prize. The number of recipients of this prize is limited, and only those placing in the top one-third of all entrants in each category are eligible. Among entrants receiving honor prizes, the “Grand Honor Prize” is awarded to those placing first in each category, and the “Special Honor Prize” to those placing second or third. Certificates are then presented to each of the prizewinners by the commissioner of the Sendai Regional Taxation Bureau.

5. Statistics

(1) Number of Entries

Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of breweries

(Previous Year)

Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of breweries

(2) Number of Prizewinners (including Grand Honor, Special Honor and Honor Prizes)

Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of breweries

(Previous Year)

Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of breweries

6.List of Prizewinners

 In regard solely to entrants awarded the "Grand Honor Prize" and the “Special Honor Prize,” tasting notes by two foreign jurors and some of the Japanese jurors are published.

(1) Ginjo-shu Category

a. Grand Honor Prize

b. Special Honor Prize

c. Honor Prize

JCN indicates Japan Corporate Number

(2) Junmai-shu Category

a. Grand Honor Prize

b. Special Honor Prize

c. Honor Prize

JCN indicates Japan Corporate Number