Raifuku Sake Brewing Company's "Raifuku Junmai Daiginjo Aiyama" received Best of 2026, given to the top sake of the year, at the 2026 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards. This year, 29 sakes won grand prizes.
Raifuku Junmai Daiginjo Aiyama is a junmai daiginjo carefully brewed using the rare Aiyama rice, polished down to a 40% rice polishing ratio. It features a bright fruity aroma and the characteristically smooth, refined sweetness of Aiyama rice.
Sake was judged across various grades, from regular futsushu to junmai, junmai ginjo, and junmai daiginjo. In the shochu category, "Kozuru Pink Gold" from Komasa Jyozo, a shochu brewery in Kagoshima, Japan, imported by Nihonshu Korea, was selected as Best of 2026.
Kozuru Pink Gold is a sweet potato shochu that uses champagne yeast to impart a fruity aroma. Unlike typical shochu, it is fermented with wine yeast, emphasizing tropical fruit aromas and a smooth drinkability instead of strong aromas and a heavy flavor.
The Korea Wine & Spirits Awards is Korea's representative comprehensive liquor competition, now in its 13th year. With the aim of "discovering good domestic liquors, promoting them widely, and supporting the formation of a sound drinking culture," ChosunBiz has held it annually since 2014.
This year's event saw 260 companies submit a total of 1,118 brands. It is the largest among domestic competitions that cover comprehensive liquors. Of these, 449 brands received grand prizes.