Yamaguchi's Tenbi Takes IWC Top Prize as Young Brewery Reaches World Summit

Photo: MADE IN AKITA (own material)

“Tenbi Junmai Ginjo Keiten”, brewed by Choshu Shuzo in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, has been named Champion Sake, the top prize in the 2026 SAKE category of the International Wine Challenge (IWC), one of the world’s largest wine competitions. It came out on top of roughly 1,700 entries, a first for a brewery from Yamaguchi Prefecture. On 14 September, company president Susumu Okamoto and colleagues visited the prefectural government offices to report the win to Governor Muraoka.

The “Oscars of the sake world”

The IWC is an international wine competition based in London, which has run a sake category since 2007. Its top prize, Champion Sake, is often referred to in Japan as the “Oscars of the sake world”, and has given winning breweries a major boost in recognition overseas. The winning “Tenbi Junmai Ginjo Keiten” falls into the “junmai ginjo” grade: a junmai sake, made from rice and water alone, for which 40 per cent or more of the outer layer of each rice grain is milled away before brewing. It is characterised by a fresh aroma reminiscent of green apple and, as a “summer sake” brewed for the hot season, is finished with a lower alcohol content than usual to make it easier to drink.

A young brand that took over a brewery on the brink of closure

Yamaguchi Prefecture lies at the western tip of Honshu and has been attracting growing attention in recent years as a sake-producing region. Choshu Shuzo’s history is still short. Choshu Industry, a manufacturer and seller of solar power systems, took over a long-established brewery that was facing closure and began brewing Tenbi in 2020. In just a few years since entering from an entirely different industry, it has reached the pinnacle of the world stage. Mr Okamoto said the company had already begun working on overseas expansion, and expressed his determination to use the award as a tailwind to bring sake to younger generations and consumers abroad.

For readers in Europe

The winning sake, Keiten, has already sold out for this year, and the next release is not expected until next spring at the earliest. The Tenbi brand, however, is not limited to this one bottle. IWC Champion Sake winners often become more widely available in specialist shops and restaurants across Europe after the award, so start by asking for “Tenbi” by name at your nearest sake specialist. As the brewery’s hallmark is a fruity, light aroma, serving it well chilled in a wine glass makes the green-apple notes easier to pick up. It also pairs well with white fish, vegetable dishes and lighter cheeses, making it a good bottle to share with friends trying sake for the first time.