Australian Sake Awards 2025 Gala Dinner Held in Sydney

Following the judging of the Australian Sake Awards 2025, held this past May, the Australian Sake Awards Gala Dinner took place on 25 September at a hotel in central Sydney, ahead of the Australian Sake Festival 2025.

The Gala Dinner brought together representatives from the award-winning sake breweries from both Japan and Australia, along with sake importers, retailers, food and beverage professionals, and certified sake experts in Australia. Attendees enjoyed a special evening pairing premium sake with fine food, while connecting with the passion and craftsmanship of Japan’s top breweries.

The evening was hosted by Simone Maynard, a Sake Samurai and a well-known figure in the sake industry. The event maintained a warm and welcoming atmosphere throughout.

The Australian Sake Awards 2025, held in Sydney on 17 and 18 May, attracted 182 entries from sake breweries across Japan and their Australian distributors. A wide range of sake styles were submitted. The judging was conducted in an energetic and enthusiastic environment, with participation from prominent judges including Mr Ken Oda of Japan’s National Research Institute of Brewing.

This international competition aims to promote the diverse appeal of sake in Australia and to support the development of local sake experts. Entrants gain insight into trends in the Australian market and can better understand the potential of their products through the feedback and results.

The sake entered in the awards were tasted and judged by pre-selected Australian judges at the judging venue to select sake preferred in the Australian market. One of the long-term goals of the awards is to establish new evaluation criteria that move beyond traditional Japanese classifications—using terminology and categories that make sake more accessible and intuitive for local consumers.

You can view the full list of award results [here].

At the beginning of the Gala Dinner, Consul-General of Japan in Sydney, Mr Osamu Yamanaka, delivered an opening address, where he spoke about the significance of cultural exchange between Japan and Australia through sake and the growing popularity of sake in the local market.

For the toast, “Hatsumidori Daiginjo” from Okuhida Shuzo, a long-established brewery in Gifu Prefecture, was selected. Before the toast, a video introducing the brewery and a speech from its representative were shown. Although Okuhida Shuzo was unable to attend the Gala Dinner, the speech from the representative introduced their commitment and passion that led to this award.

At the venue, five award-winning sake selected from the breweries were served, along with pairing dishes prepared specially for the event to match each sake’s unique characteristics.

Between each course, videos introducing the Platinum Award-winning breweries were shown, giving a deeper insight into the appeal and background of the top-awarded sake. Participants were able to experience the depth of the sake through an immersive and sensory experience as they got to enjoy each award-winning pairing of food and sake.

Guest speeches were delivered by Mr Takayuki Watanabe, Director of JETRO Sydney, and Mr William Stewart McIntyre, one of the judge leaders. They spoke about the importance of the international expansion of sake and expectations for its future in the market.

At the conclusion of the Gala Dinner, remarks were delivered by Tsuyoshi Endo, Managing Director of JAMS.TV, who was newly appointed as a Sake Samurai this year, and by the host, Simone Maynard, (also a Sake Samurai). They expressed their strong commitment to ongoing efforts to promote the appeal of sake to the world, and extended their heartfelt gratitude to all brewery and awards personnel.

Endo’s Sake Samurai appointment address can be viewed [here].

Furthermore, on the weekend of 27 and 28 September, the Australian Sake Festival 2025 was held in Sydney, where a booth showcasing this year’s award-winning sake was also set up. Many visitors stopped by the booth, took commemorative photos, and sampled the award-winning sake, showing that this is an award of great interest even among the general Australian public.

This Gala Dinner served as a valuable occasion for judges, brewery representatives, importers, those in the food, beverage, and liquor retail industries—people who support the sake industry—to come together, and was also an important opportunity to aim for further development of food culture, tourism, and industrial exchange between Japan and Australia.

It is expected that initiatives like this will continue to promote the diverse appeal of sake on the international stage and drive the enhancement of sake’s brand value and expansion into the global market.

The Australian Sake Awards Gala Dinner 2025 menu:

Vietnamese Beef Salad with Vermicelli Category
IINUMAHONKE Co.,Ltd. – Junmai Ginjo Kinoene APPLE Namazake
*A different label from the same brewery was served on the day