The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Matsunotsukasa
No.83 · Brewery Profile
Matsunotsukasa松の司 · Matsuse Shuzo 松瀬酒造
Matsuse Shuzo has grown its own Yamada Nishiki since the late 1980s, moving to 100% contract-farmed rice by 1992 in a deliberate bid to brew terroir-driven sake. The Shiga brewery releases parallel single-source, single-milling bottlings that let drinkers taste the difference between specific fields and rice districts, an approach that won it the International Wine Challenge’s sake trophy in 2007.
Who makes Matsunotsukasa?
Matsuse Shuzo has grown its own Yamada Nishiki since the late 1980s, moving to 100% contract-farmed rice by 1992 in a deliberate bid to brew terroir-driven sake in Shiga.
What does Matsunotsukasa taste like?
Tagged Elegant & Refined and Aromatic & Fruity, the flagship Junmai Daiginjo Kuro, from Hyogo Tojo-grown Yamada Nishiki milled to 35%, rates 4/5 aromatic; the Ryuo bottling, from locally grown Shiga rice, and the standard Junmai Ginjo both sit at 3/5.
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with the Junmai Daiginjo Kuro, the flagship “black label” expression built from Hyogo Tojo-grown Yamada Nishiki.
How does Matsunotsukasa compare to other Shiga breweries?
Matsunotsukasa is the only Shiga brewery in this index tagged Aromatic & Fruity; the prefecture’s other entrant, Shichihonyari, is tagged Rich & Umami instead, putting the two at opposite ends of Shiga’s style range.
Frequently asked questions
Since when has Matsuse Shuzo grown its own Yamada Nishiki?
Since the late 1980s, moving to 100% contract-farmed rice by 1992.
What international award has Matsunotsukasa won?
The International Wine Challenge’s sake trophy, in 2007.
What makes Matsunotsukasa’s bottlings distinctive?
Parallel single-source, single-milling releases that let drinkers compare specific fields, such as Hyogo Tojo-grown versus Shiga Ryuo-grown Yamada Nishiki.
The bottles
Junmai Daiginjo Kuro純米大吟醸 黒
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Flagship ‘black label’ expression from Hyogo Tojo-grown Yamada Nishiki.”
Junmai Daiginjo Ryuo Yamada Nishiki純米大吟醸 竜王山田錦
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Terroir-focused bottling from locally grown Shiga rice.”
Junmai Ginjo純米吟醸
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“The brewery’s standard junmai ginjo.”
Reading the bars: an editorial flavor reading (0–5) of each bottle — Dry→Rich, Light→Full, Subtle→Aromatic, Low→High acidity — not laboratory values. The colored badge is the SSI four-type classification (薫酒 Kunshu · 爽酒 Soshu · 醇酒 Junshu · 熟酒 Jukushu). SMV and acidity appear only where the brewery publishes them.
Sources: matsunotsukasa.com · sakeworld.jp