Winners of this year's Honkaku Shochu, Awamori, and Liqueur Competition in France Announced!

The Kura Master Operating Committee (Headquarters: Paris, France; Representative: Keiichiro Miyagawa) has announced the results of the Kura Master Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Competition and Liqueur Competition, held on April 27 (Monday) at Le Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris, known as the independent maison with the most stars in the world. 【About the Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Competition】 The Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Competition was judged across 8 categories, with Gold and Platinum awards given to the top 33%. Among the Platinum winners, an Excellence Award was selected, and from those, a "Jury's Prize" was chosen for each of the 8 categories. The categories were: Sweet Potato Shochu, Rice Shochu, Barley Shochu, Brown Sugar Shochu, Awamori, Variety, Barrel-Aged, and Craft Koji Spirits. (Winning brands listed below. Details on the official HP https://kuramaster.com/ja/.) 【About the Liqueur Competition】 The Liqueur Competition was held in two categories: Umeshu (plum liqueur) and the newly established Citrus Liqueur category. Gold and Platinum awards were similarly selected. An Excellence Award was chosen from the finalists, and from these, two "Jury's Prize" winners were selected as the best in their category. (Winning brands listed below. Details on the official HP https://kuramaster.com/ja/.) 【Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Competition Jury's Prize Winners】 (Top of each of the 8 categories) <1. Sweet Potato Shochu> Kagoshima Pref: Wakashio Shuzo Co., Ltd. "GLOW EP05" <2. Rice Shochu> Kumamoto Pref: Gomei Gaisha Toyonaga Shuzo "Joatsu Toyonagakura" <3. Barley Shochu> Kumamoto Pref: Gomei Gaisha Toyonaga Shuzo "Mugijiru" <4. Brown Sugar Shochu> Kagoshima Pref: Amami Oshima Shuzo Co., Ltd. "Jogo" <5. Awamori> Okinawa Pref: Yugen Gaisha Yaesen Shuzo "Yaesen" <6. Variety> Aomori Pref: Hachinohe Shuzo Co., Ltd. "Minato Distillery Apple Spirits" <7. Barrel-Aged> Kagoshima Pref: Den-en Shuzo Co., Ltd. "Den-en ENVELHECIDA" <8. Craft Koji Spirits> Fukuoka Pref: Shinozaki Co., Ltd. "Asakura SHERRY CASK FINISH" 【Liqueur Competition Jury's Prize Winners】 <1. Umeshu> Wakayama Pref: Kishu Honjo Umeyoshi Co., Ltd. "Umeyoshi ICHI" <2. Citrus Liqueur> Tottori Pref: Chiyomusubi Shuzo Co., Ltd. "CHIYOMUSUBI ULTRA YUZU" 【This Year's Competition and Future Plans】 The judging panel consisted of 125 professionals, including Christophe Davoine, chairman of the Shochu & Awamori competition and an MOF (Meilleur Ouvrier de France), Maeva Rougeoreille, chairman of the Liqueur competition and chef-sommelier at the Michelin 2-star Auberge du Père Bise, as well as leading French bartenders, cavistes, and top sommeliers from 5-star hotels and Michelin 3-star restaurants. A total of 1,252 items were submitted across the Shochu, Awamori, Liqueur, Sake, and Wine competitions. At the awards ceremony on September 30 (Wednesday) at the Japanese Ambassador's Residence in France, one "President's Prize" for Shochu/Awamori selected by Christophe Davoine and one "President's Prize" for Liqueur selected by Maeva Rougeoreille from among the Platinum award winners will be announced. 【Comments from the Chairpersons】 I am delighted to celebrate Kura Master's 10th anniversary with you all. These 10 years, and this year again, have been full of surprises. I sincerely thank all producers for their trust and continued support of Kura Master. Thanks to you, we are able to taste truly wonderful liquors every year. The judges are increasingly passionate and interested in the world of Awamori and Shochu, and I personally feel great joy in discovering new award-winning liquors through this competition. To the many distilleries that achieve wonderful results each year and the producers who participate time and again, thank you very much. I look forward to seeing you at the awards ceremony on September 30th. At that time, I will present my President's Prize to the Awamori or Shochu that particularly captivated me this year. I look forward to seeing you all. And in February 2027, I plan to visit Japan again to learn about Japanese culture and further deepen my understanding of the wonderful world of Awamori and Shochu. Thank you, and see you again soon. I was greatly honored to serve as the chairperson for the newly created Liqueur Competition, consisting of Umeshu and Citrus Liqueur categories, at Kura Master's memorable 10th competition. This 10th edition was highly significant for the competition with the introduction of the liqueur category. While Umeshu has been popular for many years, it was fascinating to see it clearly positioned in a sweeter domain, and the addition of diverse citrus liqueurs was a very interesting endeavor. In the judging, besides the award-winning Yuzushu, various uniquely Japanese citrus fruits were expressed in diverse styles, and I was strongly stimulated by their high quality and breadth. It was also full of wonderful things that heralded the beginning of new discoveries by Japanese producers. With each edition, Kura Master expands its journey that began with sake, now teaching us the diverse charms of Japanese producers. These bring new possibilities to our restaurant tables. I am delighted to have been a part of this memorable first year and am very much looking forward to sharing further discoveries with you all again next year. Thank you. 【President's Prize Announcement and Awards Ceremony Overview】 Date: September 30 (Wed), 2026 Location: Residence of the Japanese Ambassador to France Content: Presentation of certificates and trophies to Jury's Prize and Alliance Gastronomie Prize winners, announcement and presentation of President's Prize. Organizer: Association de Kura Master 【About Kura Master】 Kura Master is a competition for Japanese alcoholic beverages held in France for the French people, which started in 2017. The judges are mainly French and other Europeans, composed of professionals in the food and beverage industry, including holders of the MOF (Meilleurs Ouvriers de France), top sommeliers and barmen from first-class French hotels, cavistes, and people from restaurants, hotels, and culinary schools. The competition expanded to include Honkaku Shochu & Awamori in 2021, Umeshu in 2023, and wine from 2025. This year, it was further expanded with a new Citrus Liqueur category under the Liqueur Competition. [*]MOF is a title awarded to craftsmen with high skills worthy of being the finest inheritors of French culture. (Contact info, sponsors, and other details follow.)