This is a rare product as a limited quantity is only made in October each year by the legendary vinegar maker, Tobaya Suten. It is delightful in flavour and colour. See also our limited production Ume Plum vinegar.

A traditional rice vinegar infused with shiso leaves and candied sugar, manufactured by Tobaya Suten. The unique, aromatic flavour of shiso is balanced by sugar to deliver expressive notes of fruitiness as well as herbs. Tannins from the leaves give the vinegar its distinct pink colour, mellowing to a ruby brown overtime. This vinegar is perfect with daikon, turnips and cabbage. Use it in vinaigrettes, rice seasoning and with sea food. The vinegar can also be applied to fruit salads and its fruity, sweetness lends itself to desserts and ice creams. 

About Tobaya Suten 

Founded in 1710, Tobaya Suten is a small vinegar manufacturer with a long history, the family brewery is one of the 400 vinegar producers in Japan, still preserving the traditional methods of manufacturing vinegar.  

Nakano-san, President of Tobaya Suten:  

"I am the 12th president and I work hard every day, which makes me believe that it is not so easy to maintain a family business throughout one's life and pass it on to the next generation. I think of my predecessors who worked the same way for over 300 years, repeating the same process. Of course, some things have changed over the past 300 years, such as machines, buildings, and people, but some essential processes have not changed and are strictly adhered to. One of them is called "Kaiire". It is the way the vinegar pulp is mixed by hand with an oar. During this process, people naturally begin to think that the vinegar pulp they mix will become good vinegar one day. Since the beginning, this process has been repeated tens of thousands of times. I believe that the repetition of the same process is not just repetition but also the accumulation of past generations' love for vinegar. I believe that vinegar is only a condiment. Its role is to bring taste to food which is essential to human life. The main role of vinegar is to enhance the taste of the dishes. Vinegar is never in the foreground but it is essential for certain dishes. The importance of its secondary role is that it can bring a touch of brilliance to the dish... I believe that is what vinegar should do. Fermentation can be reduced to a chemical theory, but every time I look at the vinegar right after the amazing fermentation process, I can't help but believe that it is God's work. All we do is put sake in steamed rice, add a mother of vinegar, and wait until it is fermented. What happens in a jug cannot be considered as a simple chemical reaction. Just as water and air are gifts of nature, so is the fermentation of vinegar a work of nature. We only help this work. The sensational vinegar made in our jugs always makes me think that no man can do the same thing, even using the most advanced technology.”