Iio Jozo Pure Rice Vinegar

Iio Jozo—a fifth generation vinegar brewery in the Kyoto Prefecture of Japan—has been crafting rice and fruit vinegars for almost 125 years. Their rice vinegar is still produced using traditional methods, taking just over a year from start to finish.

Iio Jozo's Pure Rice Vinegar starts with sake made with new harvest, pesticide-free rice. To make the sake, rice is mixed with koji and then sits for three days before it's pressed and fermented for 45 days. The finished sake is combined with equal parts spring water and vinegar mother, and then is allowed to ferment for another 100 days. The process doesn't stop there—the rice vinegar is aged for another 8 months, rounding out the flavor and softening its tangy bite.

Fun fact: this artisanal product uses 200 grams of rice to make a liter of vinegar (that's five times the minimum amount required by law!).