The Great Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Contest 2023
The official hub page for the UKBG and Japanese Sake and Shochu Makers Association’s collaborative contest and seminar series. Here you will find the full info, the latest news and information regarding entry, rules and eligibility.
For the second year running, the UKBG has partnered with the Japanese Sake and Shochu Makers Association for a new seminar and an incredible competition focussing on the two categories of Honkaku Shochu and Awamori.
This year we will focus primarly on Schochu production methods and how to best use them in a cocktail experience. The top prize is a trip to Japan!
Head to the Members Resources area to watch the seminar recording and to access to the contest entry form!
The UKBG continues its fruitful partnership with the Japanese artisanal spirits community represented by the Japanese Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS), with a second annual competition and seminar.
Centred around two of Japan’s newly recognised distilled spirits categories of Honkaku Shochu and Awamori, the UKBG will host an online seminar, leading to an in-person and live-streamed competition in partnership with some of Japan’s leading industry figures and skilled artisanal brewers and distillers.
Our competition continues our goal of bringing Japanese beverage culture to new audiences and inspiring bartending innovation.
Bartenders are to create a Honkaku Shochu/Awamori-based cocktail that is truly inspired by Japanese drinking culture.
The Great Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Contest
The Great Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Seminar
Our seminar will cover production, flavour profiles, cocktail inspiration and much more – continuing our competition ethos of promoting learning and sharing.
This year we are leaving the theme in the hands of our entrants. It needs to emphasise the style of the spirit used and develop the drink around its flavours. The masterclass will teach you how to work around these caracteristics. Our primary goal is to showcase these carefully crafted spirits the best we can.
Meet the speakers:
Don Lee
Bartending legend and award-winning mentor, Don will be speaking at our upcoming seminar on our upcoming Shochu and Awamori seminar on 21 February, as part of The Great Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Contest.
A software engineer by trade and documentary photographer by schooling, Don Lee is a bartender by choice. He was the founding judge of the Ultimate Beverage Challenge , and is a teaching fellow for the Beverage Alcohol Resource. His career is as diverse and vibrant as his personality. His most recent achievements include winning ‘Best American Bar Mentor’ at the Tales Spirited Awards.
Kenta Goto
A Tokyo native, Kenta was the recipient of the American Bartender of the Year Award at the 2011 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.
After a long tenure at Pegu Club, Kenta opened his own bar, Bar Goto in NYC’s Lower East Side in 2015. Bar Goto has garnered national recognition as a two-time James Beard Award Outstanding Bar Program Semifinalist, Bon Appetit Magazine’s Bar of the Year, Esquire’s Best Bars in America, and as a TOTC Spirited Awards Best U.S. Cocktail Bar Finalist in 2018 and in 2022. Kenta opened his second bar, Bar Goto Niban, in Brooklyn in 2020.
The Theme – The Vibe
The Great Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Contest is centred around two of Japan’s most characterful and culturally important distilled spirits. Honkaku Shochu and Awamori are produced with a micro-organism called koji-kin, a type of mould indigenous to Japan.
Our seminars will cover production, flavour profiles, cocktail inspiration and much more – continuing our competition ethos of promoting learning and sharing.
This year we are leaving the theme in the hands of our entrants. It needs to emphasise the style of the spirit used and develop the drink around its flavours. The masterclass will teach you how to work around these caracteristics. Our primary goal is to showcase these carefully crafted spirits the best we can.
LATEST NEWS
What is Shochu? – A UKBG 101
Ahead of our exclusive UKBG-JSS Honkaku Shochu and Awamori seminar, we welcome guest contributor Emily Goodman, for a primer on
MEET THE SPONSORS
The Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association was established in 1953 to support the Japanese Government in securing revenue from liquor taxation, ensuring safe and secure liquor business transactions, and developing the sector.
It is a voluntary organisation comprising nearly every maker of Japanese alcoholic drinks in the country. There are a total of 1,708 members, which include 1,422 Sake producers, 273 Honkaku Shochu producers, and 13 mirin producers. (Date as of March 2019).
As the only official industry organisation for Japan’s national alcoholic drinks, its core aim is to promote Sake, Honkaku Shochu, and Awamori both domestically and in overseas markets.
Entry Overview
Updated 24.12.22
This page will be regularly updated. Check back for updates.
Entrants must register and attend the Honkaku Shochu and Awamori masterclass in order to enter the competition. (All seminar attendance RSVPs submitted by 20.01.23, Attend the seminar on 30.01.23)
NB: Only UKBG members can subscribe to the competition. There will be opportunities to register before, during and after the masterclass.
It is not compulsory to be employed at the time of submission.
Submissions must be entered by midday on 24.2.23 and must include the below info and requirements:
Full Name of the entrant
A photo of the cocktail to be used by the UKBG social media channels with account name details / tags/ hashtags
Competitors are to share their serve on social media with all given UKBG relevant hashtags and handles. ( Further info coming soon)
Cocktail Name
Detail as to why a particular product was used
The story/idea behind drink creation
Full ingredients list including measurements and method of execution
Full method of infusion (if any)
Glass
Garnish
(OPTIONAL) A cocktail build video
Cocktail recipe must respect the following rules:
Contain at least 45ml of sponsored categories between Honkaku Shochu and Awamori
Only 1 home-made ingredient is allowed and can only be an infusion of an existing product (e.g. syrup, liqueur etc…)
No alterations can be made to the selected style of Shochu.
8 applicants will be selected to take part in the Grand Final, which will take place on 13.03.23
Successful applicants will be informed via email by 01.03.23
Finalist competitors will be asked to present their cocktail in front of a panel of 3 industry experts
Finals Judging criteria include:
Demonstrating category knowledge ( Balance your drink by respecting the Shocu & Awamori style with the flavour originated from the raw material and the different distillation methods)
Engagement
Look & Appearance
Aroma & Taste
Execution teqcnique explained ( How and WHY)
The contestant with the highest overall score will be awarded with a trip to Japan!