Matsuoka Brewing Co., Ltd.

After graduating from university in 1975, I spent 27 years working in the alcohol industry at a beverage manufacturer and a liquor wholesaler before becoming the sixth-generation head of Matsuoka Brewery in 2003. Matsuoka Brewery was founded in 1851. We hold the record for the most awards in Saitama Prefecture, including eight consecutive Gold Awards at the National New Sake Competition.
We use mineral-rich deep natural water purified by limestone from the Chichibu mountain range as our brewing water, and employ traditional techniques to produce the sake "Mikado-matsu."
Currently, sake is said to be in a slump and facing a decline, overshadowed by other categories of alcohol.
However, the current trend shows that "Japanese" culture—represented by Japanese cuisine, hot springs, and yukata—is beginning to be reevaluated by the younger generation.
In December 2013, “Japanese cuisine,” a traditional Japanese cultural practice, was designated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, followed in 2014 by the traditional hand-made washi paper craftsmanship of Ogawa Town. For sake—Japan’s national drink and a cornerstone of traditional culture—and especially for local breweries that are doing excellent work, this presents a unique opportunity for a resurgence. We consider it our duty to develop sake that both preserves traditional culture and aligns with the consumption trends of the new era.
Unfortunately, there are still many consumers who believe that all sake tastes the same, no matter which one they drink.
Since 2003, we have held the “Teimatsu Sake Brewery Festival” to introduce our brewery to the local community and help people discover the beauty of traditional culture through sake. During the festival, we invited attendees to taste and compare freshly pressed Daiginjo, Junmai, and barrel-aged sake, and many expressed their admiration, exclaiming, “I didn’t know sake like this existed!”
Since then, we have been offering freshly pressed unblended sake—previously available only at the brewery—through limited reservation sales, in the hope that as many consumers as possible will come to appreciate the true deliciousness of sake.