Craft Spirits Awards: Japanese gin, Umeshu and Shochu receive awards

Unfortunately, the Craft Spirits Berlin trade fair could not take place this year due to Covid-19, but the competition, the Craft Spirits Awards 2021, could. The results were published on Friday evening, 26.02.2021. For the second time this year, there was also a category for shochu, Japan's number one craft spirit. Five shochus from our range received one of the coveted awards, with a total of 1x silver and 4x bronze. In addition, the Beniotome Kuro Shochu from Sesame was awarded "Best In Class".

For the first time this year, we also entered a product in the "Gin" category and in the "Liqueurs" category and are delighted to have won silver for the JIN7 Series 00 and silver for our Kaga Umeshu.

Our biggest thanks go to our producers Beniotome Shuzo, Ochiai Shuzojyo, Ohishi Shuzojyo, Manzairaku Sake Kura and Oyama Jinchichi Shoten, who produce such fantastic products with so much passion and dedication. And of course to the competent expert jury as well as Theo Ligthart and Thomas Kochan for the great organization and these special circumstances.

The winners in detail:

1st Silver and "Best In Class" in the Shochu category for Beniotome Kuro Shochu, black sesame and black koji, Fukuoka

Beniotome Kuro has been delighting bartenders and end customers alike in Germany since 2019. The roasted black sesame seeds give it a particularly intense flavor and impressive umami notes from the black koji. A dream in food pairing, but also in cocktails.

https://ginza-berlin.com/collections/sonstige-spannende-shochus/products/beniotome-kuro

2nd silver for JIN7 Series 00, Oyama Jinchichi Shoten, Ibusuki, in the "Gin - New Western Style" category

This great gin won over the jury in this highly competitive category. It comes with 11 botanicals from Japan's oldest herb garden "Kaimon Sanroku" in Ibusuki. These include ho leaf, rose geranium, mint and lemongrass. Kagoshima's best-known tea variety, Chiran, and Ibusuki's popular Kito Yuzu are also used. JIN7 is a beautiful symbiosis of citrus and herbal notes. It is bottled at 47% vol. and is very mild.

https://ginza-berlin.com/collections/gin/products/jin7-00

3rd silver for the Kaga Umeshu in the "Liqueurs" category, Manzairaku Sake Kura, Ishikawa

The Kaga Umeshu is one of our top sellers and was quite rightly awarded a silver medal. There is also a lot of competition in the liqueur category. All the more reason for us to be delighted with this fantastic award. The small sake brewery Manzairaku Sake Kura produces the Kaga Umeshu by hand. It impresses with a great interplay of sweetness and acidity and is phenomenal both on its own and in cocktails.

https://ginza-berlin.com/collections/umeshu-pflaumenlikor/products/kaga-720ml

4th bronze for the Kagamizu Ginger Shochu, ginger, Ochia Shuzojyo, Miyazaki

This shochu has a refreshingly crisp taste with a subtle spiciness. Ginger shochu is very rare. It is produced using 20% local ginger and barley for the secondary mash. A dream with sushi and sashimi, but can also be extended with warm water and used as an ingredient in cocktails.

https://ginza-berlin.com/collections/sonstige-spannende-shochus/products/kagamizu-ginger

5th bronze for the allspice shochu, green bell bell pepper, Ochia Shuzojyo, Miyazaki

This shochu is made from green bell bell pepper, a specialty from Miyazaki. A ripe aroma of paprika, paired with a spicy sweetness and heat at the same time, makes for an extremely refreshing drinking experience. Around 10 peppers are used per bottle. Pimento Shochu is great for food pairing and for adding that certain spicy something to cocktails.

https://ginza-berlin.com/collections/sonstige-spannende-shochus/products/piment-shochu

6. bronze for the Nemurikarasameta Gokujyou Jyunen Shochu, rice, aged for 10 years, Ohichi Shuzojyo, Kumamoto:

Brand new to us and already award-winning: This shochu is aged for 10 years in steel tanks, which makes it particularly mild and smooth. It has an intense rice aroma and a full body. The rice comes from pesticide-free cultivation in Kumamoto, making it a genuine Kuma Shochu, a protected region like Bordeaux or Bourbon. The name of this shochu may be complicated, but it is particularly easy to drink. 

https://ginza-berlin.com/collections/reis-shochu-kome/products/nemuri

7. beniotome 101, sesame shochu (goma), white sesame, beniotome shuzo, Fukuoka:

Also brand new to us and already award-winning: This shochu is made with over 20% white sesame seeds and is wonderfully soft. This is due to the long-term storage of over three years in steel tanks. The sesame note is subtle, yet the aroma is very intense. A great enrichment for food pairing, but also for cocktails.

https://ginza-berlin.com/collections/sonstige-spannende-shochus/products/beniotome-101