Machida Shuzo 町田酒造

History of Kura
Founded in 1883. Komagata-cho, Maebashi City, where Machida Sake Brewery has a brewery, is a place with good water, and sake breweries gather from each prefecture.

The well water pumped up on the premises is underground water from the Tone River, and its soft, clear water is suitable for sake brewing.

Machida Sake Brewery is a sake brewery with a female chief brewer, which is rare in Japan. Akiya Machida, the fifth-generation brewery owner, entered the brewery as his son-in-law, and they continue to make sake through trial and error as a husband and wife team.

Fruity and fresh “Machida Sake Brewery”
The fifth-generation brewery decided the direction, and the main brand currently on sale is “Machida Sake Brewery.” It is a hand-made and small-brewed limited edition sake that is only available at a limited number of sake specialty stores in Gunma.

It has a fresh taste with a strong aroma, clean acidity and sweetness, and is characterized by a white wine-like taste. The fruity quality of sake, which is preferred by women, is gaining popularity not only in the prefecture but also in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

We are particular about hand-made “small amount preparation” and thoroughly “immediate bottling within 3 minutes after squeezing” so as not to spoil the freshness. If you drink it as soon as possible after opening, you can enjoy the fresh taste until the last cup.

New sake brewing challenged by the 5th generation
The long-established brand “Seiryo” has been popular as a sake that can be drunk by a wide range of people, mainly in the local area. However, the consumption of sake has decreased sharply with the times. In a situation that could be called a crisis for sake breweries, the 5th generation is determined to take on new challenges in sake brewing, saying, “If we’re just going to keep going down like this, let’s take on new challenges.”

As the sake brewing process progressed, we decided on a clear direction, and finally completed “Machida Sake Brewery” using the name of the brewery. The president himself went to retail stores nationwide to sell “Machida Sake Brewery”.

The activities at that time have paid off, and now we sell it as a limited edition sake at retail stores around the country.

From the brewery (5th generation brewery: Akiya Machida)
Sake brewing has a commitment to “always want to do it seriously”. Of course, we want everyone to drink delicious sake, but we are working on manufacturing with the desire that retail stores will be pleased by the evaluation of Machida Sake Brewery.

In order to maintain the quality, we will not increase the production volume and will focus on maintaining the quality by manufacturing in small quantities.In order to protect the brand in the future, we would like to actively hold events and other PR activities.

蔵の歴史
明治16年創業。町田酒造店が蔵を構える前橋市駒形町は、水の良い土地として各県から酒蔵が集まり、全盛期では3軒もの酒蔵が軒を並べていました。

敷地内で汲み上げる井戸水は利根川の伏流水で、やわらかく澄んだ水質は酒造りに適しています。

町田酒造店は全国でも珍しい女性杜氏の酒蔵。5代目蔵元となる町田晶也社長は婿として蔵に入り、夫婦二人三脚で試行錯誤を繰り返しながら酒造りを行っています。

フルーティでフレッシュな「町田酒造」
5代目蔵元が方向性を定め、現在売り出しているメイン銘柄は「町田酒造」。群馬でも限られた酒専門店のみで取り扱っている手造り・小仕込の限定酒です。

香り高く、きれいな酸味と甘味が感じられるフレッシュな口当たりで、白ワインのような味わいが特徴。女性に好まれるフルーティな酒質は、県内をはじめ首都圏を中心に評判を呼んでいます。

「全量小仕込み」の手造りにこだわり、フレッシュさを損なわないよう“しぼり後3分以内の即瓶詰め”を徹底。開封後はできるだけ早く飲みきると、最後の1杯までフレッシュな味わいが楽しめます。

5代目が挑む新たな酒造り
昔からの銘柄である「清嘹（せいりょう）」は、地元を中心に、幅広い層に飲んでいただける酒として親しまれていました。しかし、時代とともに日本酒の消費量が激減。酒蔵にとって危機とも言える状況下で、5代目は「このまま落ちていくだけなら、今までにない挑戦をしよう」と新たな酒造りへ闘志を燃やします。

酒造りを重ねる中で明確に方向性を定めていき、蔵の名前を用いた「町田酒造」がついに完成。社長自ら全国の小売店に出向き、「町田酒造」を売り出しました。

当時の活動が実を結び、現在では、お世話になった各地の小売店で限定酒として販売をしています。

蔵元より（5代目蔵元：町田晶也）
酒造りは“常に本気でやりたい”というこだわりがあります。皆さんに美味しいものを飲んでいただきたいのはもちろんですが、町田酒造が評価されることで小売店さんにも喜んでいただきたいという想いをもって製造に取り組んでいます。

品質を保つため製造量は増やさず、少量の造りで質の維持に集中していきながら、今後もブランドを守るため積極的にイベント等PR活動等も行っていきたいです。