Sweet potato shochu 'Akanekaze 43' wins top prize in Milan

Honkaku shochu, Japan’s traditional distilled spirit, has won high praise in Italy. At the awards ceremony of the Milano Sake Challenge 2026, held in Milan on 20 September 2026, ‘Akanekaze (Akanekaze) 43’, a sweet potato shochu from Hombo Shuzo in Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Kyushu, received the Magnifica Award, the top prize in the Honkaku Shochu and Awamori category. In the design judging, it was also chosen for the Best Design Award, given to the most beautiful and functional bottle.

Top honours for both flavour and design

The Milano Sake Challenge is a competition that began in 2019. In addition to tastings by Italian sake sommeliers, it is distinctive in also judging bottle and label design, as befits Milan, a city of design. The category for shochu and awamori (a distilled spirit from Okinawa) was only newly established in 2025. In each category, Platinum, Double Gold, Gold and Silver awards are chosen, and only the single best among them receives the Magnifica Award. Akanekaze 43 won a Platinum Award and a Good Design Award, and then stood at the top of its category for both flavour and design. Hombo Shuzo commented that it will continue to make shochu with an eye on global standards, while remaining grateful for the natural environment of Kagoshima.

A patented method using freshly grated raw sweet potato

Honkaku shochu is a traditional Japanese distilled spirit made by fermenting rice, barley, sweet potatoes and other ingredients with koji and then distilling the result. The raw materials of Akanekaze 43 are sweet potatoes and rice koji. Its most distinctive feature is the ‘grated raw sweet potato method’, for which Hombo Shuzo obtained a patent in 2017. In the second stage of mashing (the step in which the main ingredient is added to a starter mash made with koji and yeast), steamed sweet potatoes are normally used, but here freshly grated raw sweet potatoes are used instead. This brings out the sweet potato’s natural, rich aroma. For the main ingredient, the brewery chose the variety ‘Tamaakane’, whose skin and flesh are vividly coloured, producing a fresh aroma reminiscent of citrus fruit and herbs. On the palate, a mellow sweetness spreads, followed by a long finish.

How to enjoy it in Europe

Akanekaze 43 has an alcohol content of 43%, and in Japan the 700 ml bottle in a gift box sells for 6,600 yen including tax. Because the strength is fairly high, start by sipping a small amount neat to appreciate the citrus and herbal aromas. Then try adding a large piece of ice or a little water, and enjoy how the sweetness and finish change. In Europe, the quickest way to find it is to search for ‘imo shochu’ (sweet potato shochu) or the brewery name ‘Hombo’ at specialist shops and online shops that handle Japanese spirits. As a bottle chosen by Italian sommeliers and designers, do also pay attention to the bottle’s design.