Japanese luxury sake brand SAKE HUNDRED, operated by Tokyo-based Clear Inc., posted a strong showing at the International Wine Challenge (IWC) 2026 SAKE category, with results announced on May 22. The brand's flagship Byakko Bespoke won the Yamagata Trophy in the Junmai Daiginjo category, while Niko won the Niigata Trophy in the Futsushu category. All seven products in the lineup picked up medals.

The IWC, run from London, is one of the world's largest wine competitions, and its SAKE category, established in 2007, is the most influential sake competition held outside Japan. This year marked the 20th anniversary of the SAKE category, and to commemorate the milestone, the judging moved to Hiroshima. Seventy judges evaluated 1,738 entries through blind tasting.

A Full Sweep of Medals

Every product SAKE HUNDRED entered came home with a medal:

  • Byakko Bespoke — Gold Medal + Yamagata Trophy (Junmai Daiginjo)
  • Niko — Gold Medal + Niigata Trophy (Futsushu)
  • Byakko — Gold Medal (Junmai Daiginjo)
  • Amairo — Silver Medal (Junmai)
  • Shinsei — Silver Medal (Sparkling)
  • Hakusou — Silver Medal (Sparkling)
  • Gengai — Silver Medal (Koshu / Aged)
  • Raihi — Silver Medal (Aged Sake)
  • Shirin — Bronze Medal (Junmai Daiginjo)

The lineup performed across a wide range of styles, from sparkling and aged sake to traditional Junmai Daiginjo.

The Two Trophy Winners

Byakko Bespoke is the brand's flagship. It is brewed by Tatenokawa in Yamagata Prefecture using Yamada Nishiki rice polished to 18% over more than 200 hours of milling. The 720ml bottle retails at 27,500 yen (tax included, shipping separate).

Judges' tasting notes read: "Strawberry banana, cotton candy, Florida orange, peach compote, elderflower, marzipan and cinnamon. Rich style that benefits from low temperature, asking with complexity and elegant oxidation. Marshmallow-marzipan." The sheer breadth of flavor descriptors — fruit, confectionery, florals, spice — is striking.

Niko, the brand's second flagship, is brewed by Shirataki Shuzo in Niigata. The 720ml bottle retails at 9,900 yen.

The tasting notes here are equally vivid: "A nose of jackfruit, Muscat and lemon soda has a wonderful fruity palate with great minerality and hints of cotton candy on the zesty finish." Tropical fruit and lemon soda are not the usual vocabulary for sake, which makes the description all the more interesting.

How the Prefecture Trophies Work

The Yamagata and Niigata Trophies that SAKE HUNDRED won are second-tier awards, given to sake from specific producing regions that earned high marks but fell just short of the top Trophy. Of the 1,738 entries, 60 reached Trophy-level recognition.

The IWC SAKE category, in its 20th year, has played a meaningful role in shaping how sake is evaluated abroad. A full-lineup medal sweep with two Trophies, on the anniversary edition in Hiroshima, is a notable moment for SAKE HUNDRED. The next results will be worth following.