Covering the food & beverage industry, beauty, fashion, retail markets, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and related people and entities worldwide
Oriental Brewery wins 5 international awards
Award-winning brands of Oriental Brewery at the 2026 International Taste Awards
By Ko Dong-hwan
Oriental Brewery (OB), Korea’s leading brewer, became the only Korean beer manufacturer recognized at the 2026 International Taste Awards, with five of its beer brands receiving the Superior Taste Award from the Belgium-based International Taste Institute (ITI), the company said Thursday.
Founded in Brussels in 2005, the ITI is one of the world's most recognized food and beverage quality assessment organizations. Each year, an international jury composed of Michelin-starred chefs and professional sommeliers evaluates products through blind tastings based on five criteria — first impression, appearance, aroma, taste and texture, and aftertaste.
More than 250 judges participated in this year's competition. Products receiving an average score of at least 70 points out of 100 are awarded the Superior Taste Award. Scores between 70 and 80 earn one star, 80 to 90 receive two stars, and products scoring above 90 are granted the highest distinction of three stars.
OB said it was the only Korean beer manufacturer to receive awards at this year’s competition, following a similar achievement in 2025, highlighting the growing global recognition of Korean beer quality.
The company’s award-winning brands were Hanmac, Cass Fresh, Cass Light, Cass All Zero and Cass Lemon Squeeze.
Hanmac received the highest three-star rating this year, marking its sixth consecutive Superior Taste Award and fourth straight year earning the competition’s top distinction. Last year, Hanmac also became the first alcoholic beverage brand in Korea to receive the Crystal Taste Award, a special recognition granted to products that achieve a three-star rating for three consecutive years.
Cass Fresh and Cass Light, both of which have won the Superior Taste Award for seven consecutive years, earned two-star ratings. Cass All Zero and Cass Lemon Squeeze, which were entered into the competition for the first time, received two-star and one-star ratings, respectively. Cass All Zero also became the first nonalcoholic malt beverage product in Korea to win the Superior Taste Award.
“The outstanding competitiveness of Korea’s representative beer brands, including Cass and Hanmac, has once again been recognized by one of the world’s most prestigious food and beverage competitions,” an OB official said. “As a specialized brewing company, we will continue to repay consumers’ trust through relentless innovation and exceptional quality, taste and craftsmanship.”
The latest recognition adds to OB’s growing list of achievements in major quality competitions. At the 2026 Korea Liquor Awards held in March, Cass Fresh, Cass Light and Hanmac won grand prizes in the lager category, while Cass All Zero took the top honor in the nonalcoholic beer category.