November 11, 2021
Office of Analysis and Brewing Technology
Sendai Regional Taxation Bureau

1. Outline

(1) Purpose
 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.

(2) Review of 2021
 The Tohoku Sake Awards generally showcases sake brewers possessing the best brewing techniques in Japan, whose high-quality sake has been brewed with great care during the winter, and meticulously managed and matured during summer.
 This year, 144 sake breweries in the Tohoku region’s six prefectures entered 145 samples from 121 breweries in the ginjo-shu category, and 127 samples from 111 breweries for the junmai-shu category.
 The ginjo-shu category showcased well-balanced sakes with gorgeous fruity aromas and a smooth, rich taste. In the junmai-shu category, various kinds of ingredient rice were used, and the sakes had rich personality and flavor.
 Many breweries were damaged when the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 devastated the Tohoku region. However, all of the sakes entered in the Sake Awards are of a very high quality and the fact shows that sake breweries in the Tohoku region are making a huge progress toward recovery. The breweries have also affected by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, but we strongly believe that they will overcome these trials.

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 produced from the entrant’s own production site located within the jurisdiction of the Sendai Regional Taxation Bureau during the brewing year of 2020.

(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 two entries in total for the two categories. The number of entries for one category cannot be more than two.

3. Quality Examinations

(1) Schedule
 -Preliminary examination: October 5-6, 2021
 -Final examination: October 8, 2021

(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 examined for individual attributes to clarify a sensory profile and overall evaluation is given based on a five-step scoring method. After this preliminary process, the highest scoring entries are selected for the final examination. In the final examination, the chosen sakes are evaluated by a three-step scoring method.

(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) Quality evaluation jurors
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 2021

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 for each category 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. Award Ceremony

 The event will not be held this year due to COVID-19.

6. Brewing Techniques Workshop

(1) Date
 The event will be held From November 15 to 19, 2021

(2) Location
 Sendai Regional Taxation Bureau

(3) Participants
 Limited to sake-brewers, academics in the field of sake brewing, staff members from prefectural brewing-related organizations in Tohoku area and juries of Tohoku Sake Awards 2021.

7. 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

8.List of Prizewinners

 In regard solely to entrants awarded the "Grand Honor Prize" and the “Special Honor Prize,” tasting notes by foreign juror 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