Sho Chiku Bai Classic, brewed by Takara Sake USA Inc. was awarded the highest prize in the Junmai category of the 2011 U.S. National Sake Appraisal. Out of all 326 entries, Sho Chiku Bai Classic was the only sake made in the U.S. to win the Gold Award at the 2011 U.S. National Sake Appraisal.
The U.S. National Sake Appraisal is an international annual event held since 2001 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Presented by the International Sake Association (Kokusai Sake Kai), the event evaluates over 300 sake entries and is the largest event of its kind. The Appraisal is conducted by ten judges(five from Japan and five from the U.S.) under the auspices of the Japan National Research Institute of Brewing, which has supervised Japan’s National Sake Appraisal since its inception in 1910.
The tasting is conducted “blind” and in two phases: a first tasting for all entries and a second tasting for those placing in the top fifty percent of the first tasting.
The 2011 U.S. National Sake Appraisal was held on September 7th and 8th, and evaluated 326 entries from 154 sake breweries. Each entry is considered within the following categories: Daiginjo, Ginjo and Junmai. This year, 86 entries were awarded the Gold Award while 91 entries were awarded the Silver Award.
Takara Sake USA Inc. was awarded three prizes total, all in the Junmai category.
1)
Gold Award:
Sho Chiku Bai Classic (Berkeley, California)
2)
Silver Award:
Shirakabegura Kimoto Tokubetsu Junmai(imported: Nada, Japan)
3)
Silver Award:
Shirakabegura Tokubetsu Junmai(imported: Nada, Japan)
ShirakabeGura, an award winning brewery: ShirakabeGura was created as one of the premium brands of Sho Chiku Bai in 2003 by Takara Sake. ShirakabeGura was built in the Nada region of Kobe city at former Sho Chiku Bai Nada Brewery. Nada region is known most for its rich history of sake brewing, making it the perfect location for ShirakabeGura. The production achieves a delicate balance between traditional handcrafted sake and advanced sake brewing technology with a vision to create the highest quality sake. As of 2011, the ShirakabeGura has received the Gold Medal award of Japan Sake Appraisal for 8 consecutive years.