Two spirits produced by a Taiwanese distillery using Taiwan-grown rice received unanimous recognition at this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the largest event of its kind in North America.
The spirits produced by Heng Chi Distillery earned Double Gold awards — an honor given to entries that receive top marks from all judges — at the mid-April event.
The results of the competition, organized by The Tasting Alliance, were announced on Thursday.
Photo courtesy of the Heng Chi Distillery via CNA
“If we want [our products] to be recognized internationally, we must produce high-value spirits,” Heng Chi representative Lo I-neng (羅已能) said on Thursday.
The award-winning products were Shoufeng Voyage 3, made with rice from Shoufeng Township (壽豐) in Hualien County, and Pocael 194 Rice Spirit, made with rice from the Hsinchu area.
The rice from Shoufeng is a variety introduced from Japan during the Japanese colonial period, while the Hsinchu rice has long been praised for its high quality as a food staple, Lo said.
The success of the Hsinchu rice spirit “proves that even rice not specifically cultivated for alcohol production can earn international recognition,” Lo said, adding that many other Taiwanese rice varieties could have similar potential.
“Taiwan’s land and its rice could gain global visibility with the right craftsmanship,” Lo said.
It could open up opportunities for Taiwanese farmers and the agricultural industry, Lo added.
While sake is the most internationally recognized rice-based beverage, Lo said that Taiwan’s climate is not well-suited for brewing it.
Instead, distilling locally grown rice into base spirits offers better opportunities, Lo said.
In addition to the two Double Golds, Heng Chi Distillery also took home three golds, five silvers and three bronzes — its best-ever result at the annual competition.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS