Entries open for judges of the Australian Sake Awards 2023 

The 2^nd International Sake Competition “Australian Sake Awards 2023” is on the hunt for judges.

Australian sommeliers, sake retailers, food and beverage professionals, sake qualification holders, and sake importers and wholesalers are encouraged to enter to join the expert judging panel.

The popularity of sake in Australia has shown a steady increase, and there is immense potential for the category in the market.

The competition aims to promote the diverse appeal of sake in Australia, develop sake experts, contribute to the long-term development of the sake market and effectively increase awareness of this ancient Japanese beverage.

Judging will be conducted at Customs House in Sydney on 22 July 2023 in a blind tasting format to ensure a fair evaluation and to select the best sake preferred by the judging panel. The winning sake will be announced on 21 August 2023 and the awards ceremony will take place in Sydney on 29 September 2023.

There are a total of eight judging categories. (Junmai Sake, Junmai Ginjo, Junmai Daiginjo, Ginjo and Daiginjo, Namashu and Nama Genshu, Honjozo and Standard Sake, Sparkling and Aged Sake).

Conditions of entry are sake must be legally manufactured and sold under a licence, whether domestic or foreign, sold in Australia, or be scheduled to be sold in the current year.

Entries for judges are open and close on 28 April 2023. Register your interest to be a judge here. To be eligible to judge, entrants must be Australian citizens and Japanese liquor or wine-related professionals and be available on the day of judging plus attend two pre-screening online training sessions.

The final judging panel will be announced on 5 May 2023. If applications exceed the limit, the judging panel will be selected by lottery.

For more information visit https://australiansakeawards.org.au/en/