I Hate Vinegar (Or At Least I Thought I Did)
You probably do not hate vinegar
You hate industrial vinegar. That is a different product, and almost everyone who says they cannot stand vinegar has only ever met that one.
Supermarket vinegar is usually made by forcing air through a tank of alcohol until it converts. The whole thing can be done in under a day. What comes out is acetic acid and water with very little else in it, which is why it hits the back of your throat and tastes like a smell rather than a flavor. If that is your reference point, disliking vinegar is a reasonable conclusion.
What slow vinegar does differently
Ours is fermented slowly and then aged in oak barrels for months at a historic mill in Worcester, Massachusetts, using the 1823 drip method. Time in wood lets other compounds develop and softens how the acid lands, so what you taste is fruit and structure with acidity behind it rather than acidity alone. It is closer to how a wine tastes different from grain alcohol. There is more on the making in our process, and a direct comparison in industrial vs craft vinegar.
Where to start if you are skeptical
- Junmai rice wine vinegar is the softest thing we make. If sharpness is what puts you off, start here.
- Maple cider vinegar is rounded by the maple it is co-fermented with, and it is very good on roast vegetables.
- Honey wine vinegar is floral and gentle, made from fermented honey.
The whole gentle end of the range is in vinegar that is not harsh.
Three things to try before you decide
First, taste it on a spoon, plain. You will learn more in five seconds than from any description. Second, make one dressing at four parts olive oil to one part vinegar with salt and mustard, which is gentler than the standard three to one. Third, cook with it rather than pouring it raw: heat and fat both soften acid, so a splash into a pan sauce at the end is the easiest way in. Our vinaigrette guide covers the ratios.
The low-risk way to test this
Do not buy a full-size bottle to prove a point. A mini bottle sampler set puts several styles in front of you for less than one full bottle costs, so if we are wrong you have lost very little. Orders over $85 ship free within the contiguous US.