(Location: Masuda City, Shimane Prefecture; President: Takashi Ugeta; hereinafter “Ugeta Honten”), the oldest sake brewery in Shimane Prefecture, has been selected for the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) 2024 held in the UK. After a rigorous judging process by renowned experts and distillation specialists, “Uda Blended Whiskey Bourbon Style” won the Gold Award for the first time out of thousands of entries from over 70 countries around the world.
We are proud to have won the prestigious award following our category winner at the WORLD WHISKIES AWARDS held in February 2024, and at the same time, we are encouraged that our sake, sold only in Shimane Prefecture, has been recognized worldwide. It is also a great encouragement for us.
We will continue to work diligently to produce sake that can only be made in Shimane Prefecture, and to produce whiskey that people will say is delicious.
Five other products were also recognized and awarded from among whiskies from all over the world.
We are pleased that all Uda whiskies received high evaluations in their first entry.
Silver Award
Uda Blended Whisky Sherry Cask
Uda Blended Whisky Mizunara
Uda Pure Malt Whisky Standard
Uda Pure Malt Whisky Premium
Bronze Award
Uda Blended Whisky Standard
1. about the awards
The ISC is held annually in London and is known as one of the “world’s three major liquor competitions” and is considered the most prestigious competition in the world.
It is organized by Drinks International, a British publisher specializing in alcoholic beverages.
Awards are given in each category, such as whiskey, rum, brandy, and liqueur, after a rigorous blind tasting by renowned experts.
In the whisky category, master blenders, distiller managers, and other whisky specialists from whisky distilleries around the world judge the whisky products, making this a highly esteemed international competition.
This year, only 7% of the products in the entry category were awarded Gold, out of all the awarded products (in all categories), which is a narrow category.
About the award-winning products
Gold Award-winning products
Uda Blended Whiskey Bourbon Style
Capacity: 700ml
Ingredients: malt and grain
Alcohol content: 43% alcohol by volume
Suggested Retail Price: 4,400 yen (tax included)
Matured in new white oak barrels.
Charring the inside enhances sweet flavors such as vanilla aroma and caramel.
A rich, full-bodied whiskey with an easy-drinking, mellow taste.
It is a gem covered with the complex flavor and aroma typical of bourbon.
This product is sold only in Shimane Prefecture.
Silver / Bronze award-winning products
Blended Whisky Sherry Cask >>
Blended Whisky Mizunara details >>
Pure Malt Whisky Standard
Pure Malt Whisky Premium details >>
Blended Whisky Standard details >>
The challenge of Uda Honten, the oldest sake brewery in Shimane Prefecture, the birthplace of sake
The company began brewing sake in Masuda, Shimane Prefecture, focusing on the clean spring water and fruitful climate of Masuda City.
Since then, sake brewing has continued uninterrupted for more than 400 years, and we have been producing sake with an emphasis on quality and tradition.
Urita Honten is proud to be the oldest sake brewery in Shimane Prefecture, which is said to be the birthplace of sake, and has a philosophy of “inheriting and evolving tradition.
We have used the techniques cultivated in sake brewing to produce whiskey, and have created a whiskey with different flavors and a mellow mouthfeel for each product.
We will continue to take on new challenges while preserving our traditions, and we will do our utmost to ensure that our whiskey is “delicious” when people actually taste it.
We hope that many people will experience the traditions and techniques we have cherished through our alcoholic beverages.