Tadahiro Matsubara, Ambassador of Japan in Luxembourg; Credit: Embassy of Japan in Luxembourg

The results of this year's Luxembourg Sake Challenge have now been announced, with eight Sake products having received the Platinum top award.

The Embassy of Japan and Global Link Sàrl held the 2024 edition of this Japanese sake tasting competition on 5 October, with the results revealed one month later, on Wednesday 6 November 2024.

As the organisers explained, the Sake Challenge is an international sake competition aimed at promoting Japanese sake around the world. Certified sake sommeliers serve as judges and evaluate a range of high-quality Japanese sakes, taking into account the culinary culture and the tastes of local consumers. The Luxembourg Sake Challenge took place for the first time in 2022, followed by a second edition in 2023, with over 50 sakes in competition.

During the 2024 competition, the international jury, composed of thirteen sake sommeliers from nine countries, tasted 59 different varieties of Japanese sake.

The awards were split into Silver, Gold and Platinum (across different categories); there was no Bronze award this year.

A total of eight products received the Platinum award, while 35 were awarded Gold and sixteen Silver.

The Platinum award recipients were as follows:

Junmai Daiginjo​ category

- Shisei Yamadanishiki Junmaidaiginjo Gensyu Gold (brewery: Yamamotohonke Co., Ltd., Kyoto prefecture)

- Junmai Daiginjo Ugonotsuki Sinsui (brewery: Aihara Shuzo Co., Ltd., Hiroshima prefecture)

- The Invisible Gorilla (brewery: Niizawa Sake Brewery Co., Ltd., Miyagi prefecture)

- Toyo Bijin Ichibanmatoi Junmai Daiginjo (brewery: Sumikawa Sake Brewing Co., Ltd., Yamaguchi prefecture)

- Shinto no Inori Mimosusogawa (brewery: Shinto no Inori Association, Mie prefecture)

Tokubetsu Junmai​ category

- WAWAWA (brewery: Furuyashuzouten Co., Ltd., Nagano prefecture)

Yuzushu category

- Jokigen Yuzushu (brewery: Sakata Shuzo Co., Ltd., Yamagata prefecture)

- Watashi no Yuzu shu (brewery: Fujimasa Shuzo Co., Ltd., Shizuoka prefecture)

The full results are available at https://luxembourgsakechallenge.com/awards/