We won ICC runner-up!

I am thrilled to announce that we were selected as the runner-up at the recent ICC SAKE AWARD!! 👏

The winner was "Ina to Agave"!

They were serving hot sake on the final stage, and when I looked back and thought, "Wow, the energy here is incredible," I realized it was actually the heat coming from Mr. Okazumi and hot-sake DJ Tsuketaro. It was literally steaming.

The ICC SAKE AWARD is a competition where 11 sake breweries from across the country gather to determine the pinnacle of sake based on taste, dedication to the production process, branding, and resonance of their vision.

A major feature is that it acts as a "mixed martial arts tournament for alcoholic beverages," with categories including not only sake, but also craft sake, beer, wine, cider, gin, liqueur, and even mead participating.

When I was invited to the ICC competition and saw the lineup, I honestly felt a bit grumpy, as if it were being framed as "sake" vs. "everything else." I had a bit of a rebellious, perhaps less-than-positive motivation—I didn't want it to end with me just playing along.

But before the preliminaries, I was moved by everyone's immense enthusiasm and their genuine desire to make the tournament a success. I approached the competition feeling that this might truly be a day that changes history.

I had prepared all sorts of things, but from the first day of the preliminaries, I ended up just going with a strategy of pushing through with pure passion.🦾

I was confident in the taste of my sake, and I felt that my desire to create a new culture for alcohol was second to none. When I fought with that passion, my feelings got through, and I was able to pass the preliminaries.

The quarter-finals and semi-finals the next day were quite a pinch. I had a health check-up in the morning and had to drink barium for the first time in my life, so my stomach was hurting, and I hadn't finished my presentation materials at all.

So, I figured: passion it is.

Perhaps because the cold sweat from the barium added a sense of seriousness to my expression, I felt the judges' gaze intensify and turn truly focused. Thankfully, I passed the quarter-finals and semi-finals in first place, leading to the final against Ina to Agave.

I entered the final round carrying the hopes and support of all the liquor stores, restaurants, staff, and family members who have cheered us on since the day we started.

In the end, we fell just one step short.

Even though I'm frustrated, I realized I just love everyone! I truly love everyone who fought alongside me; thank you so much! Since I'm frustrated, I've decided to do Mr. Okazumi's victory pose at the brewery. I hope I can win next time. I'll have to practice serving hot sake, too.