Judging at Australian Sake Awards 2025 - Our First Time!

I'm excited to share that I'll be joining the Australian Sake Awards 2025 as a jury. It'll be my first time as a Sake jury, and it'll great chance for Sake Nami to connect and learn with the broader sake community.

Last year, Kamokinshu Tokubetsu Junmai 13 was recognised with a Sessionable and a Recommended Food Matching Award in the Grilled Salmon with Butter and Lemon category. It was a happy moment for us and a great recognition to the team from Kanemitsu Shuzo who crafted the award-winning Sake.

This year, I’ll be on the other side of the table, helping judge over 200 sakes across five categories. Tasting is done blind, with structured scoring and collaborative discussion. We have been briefed on multiple occassions that we should not swallow all of the sake, and to use the spittoon to keep our minds clear.

A key part of the judging is food pairing. Each sake is evaluated not just on its own merit, but also in context with five specific dishes:

• Vietnamese Beef Salad with Vermicelli (mild chilli/spice)
• Grilled Barramundi and Broccolini with Butter Sauce
• Fried Chicken / Karaage
• Spaghetti Napoletana (tomato base)
• Mushroom Pizza (white base / no tomato)

It’ll be a full day of learning, tasting, and connecting with others in the industry. I'm expecting it to be a lot of fun and I’ll share some behind-the-scenes highlights when I can.