PRESS RELEASE
10 July 2024

IWC announces 2024 Sake Awards

International Wine Challenge Sake Brewer of the Year 2024, Niizawa Sake Brewery Co., LtdOn the 9th July in London, the International Wine Challenge (IWC) announced its ３
biggest sake award winners including IWC 2024 Champion Sake, this year’s overall winner.
The IWC sake judging is the most vigorous and influential competition of its type in theworld and judging was successfully carried out over four days in May at St Mary
Marylebone in London. For the 18th year of sake competition since it started in 2007, theworld’s most respected 65 sake experts assembled from17 countries and judged
staggering 1504 sake entries under a strict blind-tasting measure and multiple groupexaminations. This year, 31 sake brands were enrolled from 6 countries outside of Japan
including Armenia, Brazil, China, England, Taiwan and US.

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The IWC sake competition has now 10 categories: Futsu-shu, Honjozo, Ginjo, Daiginjo,Junmai, Junmai Ginjo, Junmai Daiginjo, Koshu, Aged sake (new) and Sparkling sake. Thisyear the results of medals and trophies were announced on online on the 6th June. Andtoday, on the 9th July, the final results were announced at the IWC awards dinner, which
are the IWC 2024 Champion Sake, the Great Value Champion Sake, and the Sake Brewerof the year. This annual dinner was attended by sake makers, judges, sake supporters andworld press. The finalists flew from Japan to receive their awards and trophies. The IWC
2024 Sake Awards are as follows:⭐IWC Champion Sake 2024

Sponsored by Kyosei Bank for the second year running, the 2024 IWC Champion Sake
which is regarded the most influential award known as ‘The Oscar’ of the sake industry
went to Miyakobijin Taiyou, Junmai Ginjo by Miyakobijin Shuzo from Hyogoprefecture.
Miyakobijin Junmai ginjo Taiyou is the first championship victory for Hyogo prefecture since
the competition started in 2007. Mr Ie Osamu, the master brewer of Miyako Bijin breweryreceived the Champion Sake Awards from Andrew Reed of IWC hosted by Ken Ohashi
MW, the co-chairman of the IWC sake competition on the stage.
This Junmai Ginjo sake stood out for IWC judges noted as ‘Aromas of musk melon,strawberries, hints of nuttiness, almond spice with an exquisitely integrated acidity on thepalate, complete with aniseed ad white asparagus notes.
The champion sake brewery, Miyakobijin shuzo, is located on the south of the Awaji islandin the Seto Inland Sea. The brewery strives to maintain the traditional sake making method
despite the current brewing trend, and focuses on preserving Yamahai method where sakeis left to ferment naturally without adding lactic acids. This IWC champion sake Junmai
ginjo Miyakobijin Taiyou brewes Yamadanishiki rice produced in the highest ranked sakerice field in Yukawa area in Hyogo prefecture. To bring out the best of flavour from the rice,
they reintroduced an old and rare filtering system called ‘tenbin shibori’⭐ The IWC Champion Great Value Sake 2024
This award, sponsored by the Sake Samurai Association (the Chairman Mr. TsushimaKitahara) went to the best quality sake available at the most reasonable price. To qualify fora Great Value Award, entries must receive a Gold or Silver medal at the competition, have2

a minimum production volume of 100,000 bottles and be available nationwide for less than
1,200 Yen (approximately £6) for 720 ml regular bottle size.
This year, the Champion Great Value Sake Award was won by Fudoh Keikai Karakuchi
by Nabedana Inc. from Chiba prefecture. The brewery was the runner-up for the same
award last year by their Junmai sake, Jinyu. On behalf of the brewery, Ake Nordgren, theco-chairman of IWC sake competition received the award from Mr Tsushima Kitahara, thechairman of Sake Samurai Association.
This sake presents an elegant nose, tones of Nashi-Asian pear, rice cake with a touch ofherbal hints. Medium-dry on the palate with fresh layered fruits followed by great purefinish. Nabedana Inc was established in 1689.

⭐ IWC Sake Brewer of the Year 2024
Finally, the highly coveted IWC Sake Brewer of the Year award was announced. Thisaward is equivalent of the Winemaker of the Year award and is awarded to the brewer withthe highest consistency of results across their entries, went to: Niizawa Sake Brewery Co.
Ltd from Miyagi Prefecture for the third consecutive year.
This year, Niizawa Sake Brewery has not only repeated its success as sake brewer but
also has also won 2 category Trophies of Honjozo and Aged sake, 9 gold medals, 17 silver
medals, 12 bronze medals and 13 commended medals.
Niizawa Sake Brewery in Miyagi is known with its hugely innovative and challenging
approach to sake making such as the appointment of the youngest 22-year-old female Toji
(brew master), Miss Nanami Watanabe. At the award dinner, Mr Iwao Niizawa, the ownerof the brewery collected the award on the stage. The brewery was destroyed completely by
the Tohoku Tsunami disaster in 2011 and Mr Iwao Niizawa and his team rebuilt a breweryfrom a scratch in a new area with their pioneering spirits.

⭐ IWC Sake Prefecture of the Year 2024 (NEW)3

This new award is sponsored by Nomura Real Estate in Japan. The shortlisted prefectures
were announced at the award dinner in the presence of Yutaka Hayasaka, managing
director or the Nomura Real Estate UK. The award winner will be announced in November
in Japan.The short list of the IWC Sake Prefecture of the Year 2024 is;Nagano prefecture, Miyagi prefecture, Yamagata prefecture, Niigata prefecture, and HyogoPrefecture.
Further info: To decide on the winner of this new award, IWC collates data from the resultsof the competition, analyses, and scores. Sake Prefectures with minimum 50 entries areawarded points for each sake of the current brewing season that have won an IWC Trophy,Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal or Commended Medal Award. Points are deducted for asake submitted into the competition which did not receive an award. The results are thenweighted based on the volume of entry from the Region, and finally given an average scoreper prefecture
About the IWC Sake Competition:
The IWC sake competition started in 2007 under the auspices of the Sake Samurai
Association with 228 sakes entering that year. Now the IWC is widely regarded as one ofthe largest, most credible, and prestigious sake competitions in the world. IWC sakejudging took place in London as a base but also held in Japan twice, 2016 in Hyogo and2018 Yamagata.
The finalists for the IWC 2024 Champion sake; (Trophy winners of 10 sake category) were;

Futsu-shu Trophy

Rich Yamahai Kasumitsuru

KASUMITSURU CO., LTD.

Hyogo

Honjozo Trophy

Atagonomatsu Kennai Honjozo

Niizawa Sake Brewery Co., LtdMiyagi

Junmai Trophy

Enasan Junmai

Hazama Shuzo Co.,Ltd.

Gifu

Ginjo Trophy

Keiryu 150 Shunen Ginjo

Endo Brewery Inc.

NaganoDaiginjo Trophy

Miyanoyuki Daiginjo

Miyazaki Honten Co LtdMieJunmai Ginjo Trophy

Miyakobijin Taiyou

Miyakobijin Shuzo Co LtdHyogoJunmai Daiginjo Trophy

Toko Junmai Daiginjo Fukurotsuri Juhachi

Kojima Sohonten Co.,Ltd.

Yamagata

Koshu Trophy

Hanahato Kijoshu Aged for 8 years

Enoki Shuzo Co., Ltd.

Hiroshima

Aged Sake Trophy

NIIZAWA KIZASHI 2019 2019/2020

Niizawa Sake Brewery Co., LtdMiyagi

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Sparkling Sake Trophy

Dewazakura Awa Sake

Dewazakura Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.

Yamagata5