The only contest in the world to choose warm and delicious sake
The National Kan Sake Contest is a rigorous examination committee by experts who will take over this. The purpose is to promote the appeal of “Kanzake”, which is unique to Japanese sake, by disseminating “warm and delicious sake”. There are many high-quality sakes that look great. By all means, taste sake at various temperatures and enjoy pairing with dishes that are a bit different from wine. The most important feature of sake is that it can be enjoyed hot or cold. There are various types of alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, whiskey, and vodka in the world, but sake is by far the best in the range of suitable temperatures for drinking. There is already a record of warming and drinking during the Heian period, and after the Edo period, drinking with “Kanzake” has become the mainstream.
When warmed, sake becomes more delicious and has a soft and swelling taste. Melt the fats and oils and let them flow smoothly to complement the dishes. This is the reason why Kanzake is called the ultimate in-meal sake. In addition, Kanzake developed sake cups such as sake bottles and sake cups, and fostered a rich sake culture. It was around 1980 that chilled and delicious ginjo sake and sake began to spread. It was about 30 years ago. The fresh, gorgeous and delicate taste attracted people, but there is a widespread misunderstanding that “high-quality sake does not burn.” Then, as if trying to resolve these misunderstandings, some specialized agencies have begun to examine the quality of sake.
Entry Guidelines
Winning Criteria: The top 30% of the judges’ average evaluation scores are recognized as the gold medal, and the top 5% are recognized as the highest gold medal.
Judges: Two groups of judges (Judging Leaders and General Judges) are invited by the committee to conduct the examination, they are experts such as brewing engineers, liquor distributors, liquor school instructors, etc.
Examination Method: To control the examination temperature in a water bath and evaluate in 5 stages in a blind examination.
Examination Procedures
Examination: The preparation room is separated from the examination room so that it cannot be seen, and a blind test is thoroughly conducted. Three points are examined to minimize temperature changes during the examination.
Preparation for examination: The exhibited sake is masked and heated in a water bath using tin dust using four Kanzake jars. There is more than 40 staff including cleaning and serving.
Judge: With a sake brewing engineer as the team leader, there were experts involved in the sale and publishing of sake are judged. 5 were evaluated at stages were selected winning liquor from a higher average value.
*The examination process was readjusted in the year 2020 due to Covid-19.
Results and Highest Gold Award Ceremony
The National Kanzake Contest is sponsored by the National Kanzake Contest Executive Committee and the Japan Sake Brewing Association Central Association each year. In 2020, as a result of the strict examination, 245 companies were selected (winning rate 30%), follow up by the award ceremony for the products that won the Highest Gold Award.
The award ceremony for the highest gold award was held at the Gakushi Kaikan (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) on October 23 (Friday) 2020 which was attended by 22 of the award-winning breweries despite the Covid-19 situation.