Welcome to London Sake Challenge

Organised by the Sake Sommelier Association (SSA), the London Sake Challenge is Europe’s oldest sake contest and one of the most prestigious sake competitions globally. The London Sake Challenge, established in 2012, pioneered a new style of alcohol competition in Europe: the first to focus exclusively on sake. This year, we will again be breaking new ground by hosting the first ever virtual London Sake Challenge. This year’s event takes place virtually in mid-August after an extended entry period.

Building on years of experience, and drawing on the sake expertise of our team of Certified, Advanced and Master Sake Sommelier judges; the London Sake Challenge seeks to identify and celebrate the very best that the sake world has to offer.

The London Sake Challenge competition is opened to all types and designations of sake from every corner of the world. This year though, there are two new categories for entered sake to win awards in:

• To celebrate 2020 as the year of wine (Vin Sur Vingt! in French), and the Japanese celebrations that had been expected this year due to the Olympics; the London Sake Challenge is proud to open its doors this year to not only sake, but also submissions from Japanese Wine Producers!
• With every iteration of the London Sake Challenge hosted, the SSA is delighted to receive more & more entries from breweries based outside of Japan. As love and appreciation for sake grows globally, the SSA would like to celebrate emerging international breweries and the synergy of new cultures with sake. To best commemorate sake from these new breweries, we will be opening a New World Sake category!

Consistently covered by the Japanese, British, and international media; the London Sake Challenge is a wonderful opportunity for those looking to boost the prestige of their product and expand into new markets.

We believe that judging sake is as difficult as judging wine (if not more so), and for that reason our judges are all Certified, Advanced and Master Sake Sommeliers. In order to prioritise the health & safety of our sommeliers, this year’s judges have all been selected from UK-based sake sommeliers. The SSA has still ensured that our judges represent a wide variety of nationalities and backgrounds to provide entrants with the benefit of international palates and interpretations towards the judging process.

We at the London Sake Challenge take great pride in our passion and experience. We strive to treat sake with the same love and respect as the master brewers who craft it.

NEWS

London Sake Challenge 2020 Announced!

This year’s London Sake Challenge took place virtually in September 2020. Specially added for this year, we welcomed entries into two new categories, Wines of Japan and New World Sake.

Junmai Daiginjo

Daiginjo

Junmai Ginjo

Koshu

Others

New World Sake

Umeshu

Yuzushu

Wine