OB Beer announced Thursday that all five brands it entered in the 2026 International Taste Institute (ITI) competition received the "Superior Taste Award."
OB Beer was the only domestic beer manufacturer to receive an award this year, as it was last year. The ITI has evaluated food and beverage products from around the world each year since 2005, selecting winners through blind tastings conducted by a panel of Michelin-starred chefs and sommeliers. This year's panel comprised more than 250 international judges.
The five winning brands were Hanmac, Cass Fresh, Cass Light, Cass All Zero and Cass Lemon Squeeze. Hanmac earned the top "3-star" rating, marking its sixth consecutive Superior Taste Award and fourth consecutive year at the highest rating. Cass Fresh and Cass Light each received 2-star ratings for the seventh consecutive year. Cass All Zero, entering the competition for the first time, also received 2 stars, while Cass Lemon Squeeze received 1 star. Cass All Zero became the first non-alcoholic beverage from South Korea to win the award.
"The outstanding competitiveness of Korea's representative beer brands, including Cass and Hanmac, has again been recognized by one of the world's premier food and beverage competitions," an OB Beer official said.
Meanwhile, OB Beer has been demonstrating its quality credentials with strong results at major competitions. At the 2026 Korea Liquor Awards held in March, Cass Fresh, Cass Light and Hanmac all took top honors in the beer lager category, while Cass All Zero won in the non-alcoholic beer category.
andy@heraldcorp.com
