Iio Jozo is a small, artisanal brewery in northern Kyoto Prefecture, established in 1893 in Miyazu on the shore of the Sea of Japan. Akihirio Iio is now the fifth generation of his family to run the vinegar house, using organic grown rice from its own local farmers. The quality of Iio Jozo’s rice vinegars comes from a technique perfected by his father, Hiroaki. He fortified the brewery’s homemade sake with more rice to brew pure, rich full-bodied Junmai sake that included equal parts of sake, water, and existing vinegar. It is then fermented for 100 days, then aged for 8 months under a wooden and straw mat. By creating a double-brewed type of rice vinegar, Iio Jozo’s rice vinegars develop more complex aromas, contains more healthy nutrients and taste more umami. As a result, the blue-labeled Fujisu Premium contains the equivalent of 320 grams of rice per liter, compared to the commercially produced equivalent of 40 grams of rice per liter.