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Magazine

ブレンドは日本酒の新しいフィールド![京都/松井酒造]松井治右衛門さんが[My Sake World]を体験。

Blending is a new field for sake! [Jiemon Matsui of the Matsui Sake Brewery in Kyoto experienced "My Sake World.

In this interview, Jiemon Matsui XV, President and Representative Director of Matsui Sake Brewing Company, which is developing new initiatives in the sake industry, experiences making original blended sake at My Sake world Kyoto Kawaramachi Store, which opened on June 28, 2025. We interviewed Mr. Matsui about product development that transcends the boundaries of traditional sake brewing and is conscious of recycling, overseas expansion, and the creation of new value in "blended sake. Mr. Matsui's various challenges have the potential to open up the future of the sake industry.

New sake brewing based on recycling

-What are you working on these days as Matsui Sake Brewery?

Mr. Matsui: "I think we are part of a recycling-oriented society. We use sake lees to make gin, for example. For example, our sparkling wine is sweet, but we squeeze the sake at the beginning of fermentation, so there is still some energy left over to ferment in the sake lees. We re-ferment it, distill it, pull the alcohol out, and then add plant ingredients to flavor it."

They reuse plant materials such as lemon peels discarded by lemonade shops and plums from used ume (plum) wine for fragrance. This year, the company also began purchasing discarded flowers from flower stores to make gin with the fragrance of roses and lilies, and is working on other recycling-oriented brewing projects.

Matsui said, "We named the spirit strain 'Rinne,' which conjures up images of reincarnation."

A sense of camaraderie developed [Assemblage Club].

-Matsui Shuzo is a member of the Assemblage Club. How did you feel when you were first asked about the technique of blending sake from multiple breweries?

Mr. Matsui: "In the world of wine and whiskey, blenders are the ones with the most value, and I was actually envious of that. I thought it was very fun to be able to blend sake. I thought it would be great to experience blending today, and it's a new value."

-What do you like about the [Assemblage Club] initiative?

Matsui: "Until now, other companies were our rivals. We used to have to compete with them for shelves in department stores, and we had to win in terms of sales and other factors.

When the Assemblage Club wins awards overseas, it gives us confidence because our sake is in there, and we're grateful that they're letting us into restaurants that we couldn't do business with before."

My Sake World" was more fun than expected

-How was your experience at My Sake World?

Mr. Matsui said, "I enjoyed it more than I expected! This is worth people coming. And it's a memory to cherish."

-I was impressed by the way they seemed to be enjoying the experience from start to finish. How did "My Sake" taste?

Mr. Matsui: "I like fruity, so I embrace the aromatic Eikun and One Point.... Everyone thinks of the brewery's face and disappears when they think of it, so we think of a second prototype! It all depends on whether you want to pair it with food or drink it on its own."

He is very serious about blending, saying, "It's difficult, I'm swamped. The way he adjusted the blend to the nearest millimeter was professional. Mr. Matsui, being the gentle man that he is, blended mainly Kyoto sake while keeping each sake brewer's face in mind.

-Matsui Shuzo's Jinzo (Ruri) is so popular among the sake blends used at My Sake World Oike Villa that it is out of stock.

Mr. Matsui: "I'm sorry (laughs). Last year, our production volume was the highest ever. We are talking about doing even better this year."

-Once again, how was My Sake World?

Mr. Matsui said, "Sake made by yourself tastes different. Not only the taste, but the sake made by the customer himself will probably have a satisfying taste. I really felt like this was a new field for sake after experiencing it this time.

Experiential will be so much better in the future.

-Matsui Shuzo's sake brewery experience also attracts a lot of foreign tourists, how did that come about?

Matsui: "I remember the first time a professor from Nagoya University said he wanted to take his friend, an American professor, with him. I had never shown the warehouse to anyone from overseas before, but he was very pleased, and since then, the number of visitors has been increasing."

When the Rugby World Cup was held in Japan, we had a lot of visitors from overseas, and we couldn't handle them by ourselves, so George (*American staff member) came in. He came in, and I think that was another good thing.

Matsui Sake Brewery actively promotes collaboration between sake and other fields such as art, music, and animation, and has created an interactive sake brewery tour that can accommodate tourists from overseas. We felt that the company's attitude of creating new values while preserving traditions has garnered much support.

The words "blending is a new field for sake" are a great encouragement to the entire industry. Together with Mr. Matsui, the future of sake is brightly illuminated by his attitude of preserving tradition while not being afraid to innovate.