Imakawa

Based in Kanazawa city, Imakawa is a traditional vinegar maker that has been crafting high-quality vinegar products for over a century. The small family-owned business is committed to making Japanese vinegar that is handmade and of the highest standard possible.

When it comes to making vinegar, there are three methods to making it. Out of the three methods, Imakawa opts to practice what is known as the ‘static fermentation method’. This type of method is a natural brewing method, but it also takes the most time to achieve. Rice vinegar that is made using the static fermentation method must be made from sake. Therefore, Imakawa must handmake sake and moromi before they can even make their vinegar products.

Imakawa believes that good vinegar comes from good alcohol. In order to craft the best vinegar possible, they feel that making their own alcohol is critical. They steam rice, combine it with koji (the fermenting agent), and pure water into small wooden barrels during the winter season to start the vinegar-making process. They let these ingredients sit together and slowly age, to bring out the natural aromas of the ingredients.

After letting the ingredients sit together for over a month, they then go through a secondary fermentation process to become vinegar. During this second fermentation, this is really when the umami of the ingredients comes out and gives Imakawa vinegar its unique mellow flavor. Each vinegar product from Imakawa undergoes the same process, giving each product the distinctive yet familiar flavor that Imakawa is respected for.