Kisaichi, Premium Sushi Vinegar with Akasu, 1.8L
A trade-size brewed vinegar for sushi rice, made the old way with vinegar fermented in wooden tubs.
This is Kisaichi's Deluxe (デラックス), a brewed vinegar (醸造酢) packed for trade kitchens (業務用). The label says it is made by an old-style traditional method (古式伝統製法) and uses vinegar fermented in wooden tubs (木桶発酵酢使用). In Kisaichi's own range it sits between its pale rice vinegars and its dark akazu, the aged red vinegars, bringing more of the rounded, aged sake-lees character than a plain rice vinegar. It is a base for your own sushi rice seasoning rather than a ready-sweetened mix. 1.8L plastic bottle with handle.
More from Kisaichi: Premium Sushi Vinegar, 360ml and Premium Rice Vinegar, 1.8L.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Wooden-tub vinegar: the label states it uses vinegar fermented in wooden tubs.
- Rounded acidity: sits toward the sake-lees end of Kisaichi's range, softer than a plain rice vinegar.
- Your own balance: not pre-sweetened, so you set the sugar and salt for your house shari.
- Trade size: a 1.8L handled bottle made for a working sushi counter.
How to Use
- Sushi rice: dissolve sugar and salt to your recipe, then fold through hot rice and fan.
- Sunomono: make a three-part vinegar dressing for cucumber, wakame or seafood.
- Pickling: the base for quick pickled ginger, radish or shallots.
- Beyond Japan: deglaze a pan or sharpen a dressing where a malt vinegar would be too harsh.
Su (酢) is Japanese vinegar, and jōzō-su (醸造酢) is brewed vinegar made by fermentation. Sushi vinegar starts from brewed vinegar seasoned with sugar and salt. At one end of the scale sit pale rice vinegars, clean and light; at the other sits akazu (赤酢, red vinegar), brewed from aged sake lees, darker, rounder and more savoury, and long associated with the Edomae sushi of old Tokyo. Kisaichi's Deluxe sits between the two. Kioke (木桶) are the large wooden tubs in which vinegar, soy sauce and miso have traditionally been fermented in Japan.
Learn more: Japanese Rice
What does this vinegar taste like?
Clean, bright acidity first, then a softer, rounder middle than a plain rice vinegar, with a faint sweetness and a mellow, aged note toward the finish. It is less sharp on the nose and less biting on the tongue. Seasoned with sugar and salt and folded through hot rice, it gives a shari that tastes seasoned rather than sour, with a little more depth than a pale vinegar but without the dark colour or strong savoury edge of a full akazu.
| Type | Jōzō-su 醸造酢 (brewed vinegar) for sushi rice |
| Brand | Kisaichi キサイチ, Deluxe デラックス |
| Key Feature | Uses vinegar fermented in wooden tubs (木桶発酵酢使用), per the label |
| Origin | Japan |
| Net Volume / Format | 1.8L plastic bottle with handle, trade pack |
| Best Used As | Base vinegar for sushi rice, sunomono and pickles |
Is this a ready-seasoned sushi vinegar?
No. It is labelled as a brewed vinegar (醸造酢), so treat it as the base and season it yourself. Warm a little of the vinegar with sugar and salt until they dissolve, then fold it through freshly cooked rice. If you want a ready-blended seasoning, Kisaichi's Premium Sushi Vinegar is pre-seasoned.
What is akazu?
Akazu (赤酢, red vinegar) is a Japanese vinegar brewed from aged sake lees. It is darker, rounder and more savoury than rice vinegar, and it colours sushi rice a light amber. It is closely tied to the Edomae sushi of old Tokyo. This Deluxe vinegar sits between pale rice vinegar and akazu in Kisaichi's range, rather than being a full akazu.
How should I store it?
Keep it in a cool, dark place away from heat and direct sunlight, with the cap closed tightly after each use. Vinegar keeps well thanks to its natural acidity; follow any storage guidance on the label once opened.
SKU : S0797