On Thursday, September 25, Hombo Shuzo Co., Ltd. was awarded “Shochu Producer of the Year”—an honor given to only one company among the Shochu Category producers—at the awards ceremony for the global spirits competition “International Spirits Challenge (ISC) 2025” held in London, UK. This follows our previous wins in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

In the ISC 2025 Shochu Category, Hombo Shuzo’s “Yakushima Daishizenrin Mugi” received the category’s highest honor, the “TROPHY,” and a “DOUBLE GOLD” award for the third consecutive year. Receiving the “Shochu Producer of the Year” award for the fourth consecutive year is a tremendous honor for our company, whose corporate philosophy is “Inheritance and Innovation of Regional Culture,” and we are deeply grateful. As producers of Honkaku Shochu, we will continue to be thankful for the terroir of Kagoshima, strive for continuous effort and further quality improvement, and keep challenging ourselves to create shochu with a global standard in mind.

International Spirits Challenge 2025 Shochu Category

SHOCHU PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

ISC (International Spirits Challenge)

Organized by the UK-based specialist publisher “Drinks International,” the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) is a premier competition dedicated to the quality and taste of spirits. Spanning diverse categories such as Shochu, Gin, Vodka, and Tequila, it is renowned as one of the world’s most authoritative competitions. Entries undergo rigorous blind tastings by prominent industry experts to determine GOLD, SILVER, and BRONZE awards. Furthermore, exceptional products among the GOLD winners are awarded DOUBLE GOLD, while the top accolade, the TROPHY, is awarded to the highest-performing product in its category, representing the ultimate honor.

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

In the ISC, which targets global spirits, the manufacturer that demonstrates the best performance in each category* is recognized. *The 2025 categories are Agave Spirits, American Whiskey, Aquavit, Baijiu, Brandy/Cognac, Gin, Irish Whiskey, Japanese Whisky, Liqueurs, Pre-mixed Drinks, Rum, Scotch Whisky, Shochu, Vodka, World Whisky, and Supermarket Private Label.

ISC (International Spirits Challenge) Official Website