The U.S. National Sake Appraisal

The U.S. National Sake Appraisal has been held annually since 2001 and is the oldest sake appraisal conducted outside Japan. Eleven judges—usually nine from Japan and two from the U.S.—evaluate over 500 sake entries over three days following traditional Japanese judging procedures. Top-scoring labels receive gold and silver awards, with “Grand Prix,” “Second Grand Prix” and “Third Grand Prix” awards given to entries with the highest marks in each category.

Held annually since 2001, The Joy of Sake is the largest sake tasting event outside of Japan.