Nihonshu Korea, a Japanese liquor import specialty corporations, said the Komasa Jyozo (小正醸造) shochu brewery in Kagoshima, Japan, which it imports, won Best of 2026 in the Japanese shochu institutional sector at the 2026 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards for its Kozuru Pink Gold.
The Korea Wine & Spirits Awards is Korea's representative liquor evaluation event, now in its 13th year. With the goal of "discovering excellent domestic liquor to promote it widely and supporting the formation of a sound drinking culture," ChosunBiz has hosted it annually since 2014.
This year's event saw 260 companies submit a total of 1,118 brands. It is the largest among domestic evaluations that cover comprehensive alcoholic beverages. Of these, 449 brands won the grand prize.
Kozuru Pink Gold (PINK GOLD), unveiled by Komasa Jyozo, is drawing attention with a concept that sets it apart from conventional shochu. It is being credited with reflecting the recently spreading "fruit-aroma liquor" trend.
Nihonshu Korea explained that Kozuru Pink Gold features a bright fruit aroma evoking lychee, white peach, and muscat and a smooth drinkability, instead of the strong scent and weighty flavor commonly felt in traditional sweet potato shochu.
The key to the product is a fermentation method using wine yeast. Unlike typical shochu, it draws out aromas produced by wine yeast, capturing notes in the tropical fruit family.
A Nihonshu Korea official said, "While maintaining the framework of traditional shochu, we applied brewing techniques ranging from yeast selection and fermentation temperature control to distillation design and blending," and added, "Through this product, Komasa Jyozo is presenting the appeal of sweet potato shochu in a more modern and expansive way and exploring new possibilities in the global liquor market."