For more than 130 years, Iio Jozo has crafted its signature Pure Rice Vinegar in the Tango region of Kyoto using the same traditional method. It begins with freshly harvested, rice grown in local terraced fields and pure spring water. Rather than purchasing alcohol, Iio Jozo brews its own junmai sake, then slowly transforms it into vinegar through traditional static fermentation and long aging.
The entire process takes more than two years, producing a vinegar with exceptional balance, gentle acidity, and remarkable depth. Each liter is made from 200 grams of rice, five times the minimum required by Japanese standards for rice vinegar. That extraordinary amount of rice creates a rich, umami-packed vinegar that does far more than add acidity. It brings brightness, complexity, and incredible flavor to everything it touches.