900 ml bottle - Japan
The flavor of this PREMIUM rice vinegar has been likened to that of the finest Japanese sake, and it has impressed Michelin-starred chefs around the world.
It's sought after by professional chefs and serious home cooks who treat vinegar the way wine lovers treat a great bottle — as something that fundamentally elevates a dish rather than just adding acidity.
About the Company
Iio Jozo was established in 1893 in Miyazu, Kyoto Prefecture — a coastal town famous for Amanohashidate, one of Japan's three most scenic spots. Originally rice farmers, the family began making rice vinegar as a side business, eventually turning it into their main trade. Today, fifth-generation owner Akihiro Iio continues the tradition of using exclusively 100% new-harvest, pesticide-free rice.
The company's commitment to pesticide-free farming has a compelling origin: in 1964, the third successor, Terunosuke, observed that pesticides were killing every living thing in local rice paddies. He spent two years going door to door convincing local farmers to grow without chemicals — and five years passed before the first pesticide-free vinegar was ready. Today, Iio Jozo works with about 15 local farmers, managing cultivation carefully and checking for pesticide residues. The purchase price for rice is roughly three times that of ordinary rice.
How It's Made
This is where Iio Jozo truly stands apart. The entire process takes over a year:
It starts with sake made from new harvest, pesticide-free rice. The rice is mixed with koji and sits for three days before being pressed and fermented for 45 days. The finished sake is then combined with equal parts spring water and vinegar mother, and fermented for another 100 days. After that, the rice vinegar is aged for another 8 months, rounding out the flavor and softening the tangy bite.
They use a hand-powered wooden press to squeeze the sake from the fermented rice — a deliberately laborious process that huge modern vinegar companies would never consider, as they can produce a batch in a single day.
The rice ratio is what makes the Premium version extraordinary:
The Premium is crafted with 320 grams of rice per liter — significantly more than the 200 grams in their standard Pure Rice Vinegar, and vastly more than the 40 grams used in conventional rice vinegar. That legal minimum of 40g/liter means Iio Jozo's Premium uses 8 times the rice required by law.
Why Higher Quality Matters
The higher rice content results in a richer, more rounded flavor with pronounced depth and natural sweetness, making it ideal for dishes where the character of the vinegar truly shines.
It takes about 8 months to produce their vinegars, while a regular modern company might take just one day. That slow fermentation and long aging process produces a vinegar with a fundamentally different character — less harsh, more complex, almost sake-like in its refinement.
The resulting vinegar is a clear, pale yellow color with a mild acidity of around 4.3%. It is unseasoned, meaning it contains no added salt or sugar, allowing cooks to control seasoning more precisely.
Ideas and Suggestion on how to use it:
Iio Jozo recommends using it not only for vinegar-based dishes and sushi rice, but also as a secret ingredient in stir-fries, simmered dishes, and noodle dipping sauces. Because it is rich in flavor, it can be used to make tasty dishes even while reducing the amount of salt and sugar.
More specifically:
• Sushi rice — the definitive use; the mellow depth is irreplaceable
• Ponzu sauce — whisk with yuzu juice and soy
• Salad dressings — drizzle freely given its gentle acidity
• Pickled vegetables — the rounded flavor shines without sharpness
• Marinades and sauces — adds umami complexity, not just sourness
