This is a selection of some of the world’s best sake selected through a rigorous screening process at globally-renowned competitions held in France, London, Japan, etc. Each sake represents the pinnacle of the sake world imbued with the passion and ideas of the brewery that crafted it, which with just one sip communicates a story that connects sake to the world. We invite you to try them.

Kura Master

A sake competition started in 2017, held in France with the French consumer in mind. The judging panel is mainly composed of French and other European professionals in the food and beverage industry including MOF holders (people certified by the French government as the best of their craft), sommeliers and barmen from France's top hotels and restaurants, wine retailers as well as other people from hotels, restaurants, cookery schools, etc. In its fifth year, in 2021, a category was added for honkaku shochu and more judges were added to the panel. KURA Master sets itself apart from the other many international competitions judging sake in that it focuses on the relationship between food and drink, a part of France's historic food culture. As well as the competition, the organizers put on tastings and other types of events to provide opportunities to discover the marriage of food and drink and provide a forum to promote sake, shochu and awamori, not only inside France but to the wider European market.

International Wine Challenge (IWC)

Founded in 1984, the International Wine Challenge (IWC) is one of the world's most prestigious blind tasting wine competitions. The SAKE category has grown dramatically since its introduction in 2007, seeing entries from Japan, the U.S., Switzerland and the U.K. The judging panel consists of about 60 international sake experts from about 14 countries. Sake that meets certain quality standards is awarded either a bronze, silver or gold medal; a best-in-category Champion trophy; a Great Value trophy, and one sake is selected as the overall champion of the competition. The competition truly reflects the recent growing supply and demand of sake around the world.

Fine Sake Awards

The Fine Sake Awards are not just out to judge whether the quality of a sake is good or bad. All of the sake entered is judged in a blind tasting by a panel of judges who commit to the contest objective to spread the newfound appeal of sake far and wide. While paying great respect to sake's cultural heritage and evolution, the contest recognizes the power of the wine glass to stimulate demand for the beverage. Launched in 2011, the awards are now the largest competition of their kind in Japan, with over 300 entries from around 200 breweries from all over the country.

Kan Sake Award

The Kan Sake Award is the world's only sake competition that judges sake based on the taste experience it delivers when heated. The wide range of temperatures you can enjoy sake is one feature that sets it apart from rival alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, and vodka. While chilled temperatures allow delicate and fresh flavor profiles to shine, warmer temperatures unlock umami, soften harsh acidity and open up new food-pairing possibilities such as cutting through the fat in oily dishes. Over the last thirty or so years, styles with fresher, more flamboyant, delicate flavor profiles like ginjo and namazake (unpasteurized sake) have been growing in popularity. However, there is a misconception that such premium quality sake is not heated. On a mission to dispel this misconception, a panel of experts carries out a strict blind quality assessment of sake heated at temperatures of 45℃ (113°F) and up to promote the joys of this unique dimension of the sake experience.