Welcome to Issue #114 of SIN. <\/strong><\/p>\n (Apologies: Due to logistics there is no audio version of this issue)<\/strong><\/p>\n This issue is fairly heavy on awards news. Yes, it\u2019s that time of year when the brewers of Japan submit the fruits of their labor to judging panels locally and all around the world in return for criticism, praise and – hopefully – medals.<\/p>\n Awards and competitions for sake can be a polarizing topic. It\u2019s easy to spot flaws in the system. Some breweries are known for a scattershot approach of throwing as much sake at as many competitions as possible in hopes of getting multiple hits, or at least a hit <\/span>somewhere.<\/em> Such an approach favors larger breweries that have the manpower and capacity to produce numerous products for consideration. This also highlights the unfairness to smaller breweries that simply don\u2019t have the manpower or finances (that\u2019s right, these things ain’t free, you know) to be producing and shipping sake off for competitions.\u00a0There is also frequent criticism of competitions such as the Japan Sake Awards, where the sake submitted is not the type of sake that many of the breweries normally make, but rather styles made specifically to please the judges.<\/span><\/p>\n There will always be a few consumers that put a little too much stock in the results of these competitions, however for the skeptics, one way to look at them is as a form of motivation and encouragement. Regardless of one\u2019s stance on sake appraisals, it\u2019s always nice to see a brewery and its staff genuinely chuffed with being recognized for their hard work. Surely no one would begrudge that.<\/p>\n And if a brewery decides to use award recognition as a base for its promotion and advertising, that\u2019s their prerogative. At the end of the day, awards and medals can simply be another way to get into the psyche of the consumer, let them know what\u2019s out there and how high the standard of sake is these days.\u00a0<\/p>\n No one is saying you have to agree with the results or that it should influence your drinking choices. Just think of it as recognition for a job well done. We all know taste is subjective and, regardless of award recognition, we all have our own preferences which are completely valid. Last year the winner of the Academy Award for best picture was \u201cEverything Everywhere All At Once\u201d – not really my thing, but it didn\u2019t take anything away from my enjoyment of \u201cJohn Wick 4\u201d. And so it is with sake.<\/p>\n And now for the news\u2026<\/p>\n N.B. Chief editor Julian Houseman is filling in for John Gauntner with comments on the stories in this issue.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
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