Balsamic vinegar is not malt vinegar. This matters more than the similar naming suggests.
Malt vinegar is sharp, aggressive, British. It attacks. Balsamic vinegar is rounded, sweet, Italian. It embraces. The same basic concept, sourness on crisps, produces completely different eating experiences depending on which vinegar you choose.
Kettle chose balsamic, and the choice defines the product.
The sourness here is gentle. Present, definitely, but not the face-scrunching assault of traditional salt and vinegar. There’s sweetness underneath, the grape-derived complexity that makes balsamic balsamic. It’s sophisticated in a way that chip shop vinegar never attempts.
The “of Modena” specification adds geographical legitimacy. Real balsamic comes from Modena. Whether this matters to the actual flavour or just the marketing is debatable, but the crisp tastes good enough that the question becomes academic.
Who is this for?
People who find regular salt and vinegar too harsh. People who want vinegar crisps they can serve at dinner parties without apology. People who’ve moved beyond the aggressive flavours of their youth and want something more refined.
If you love that malt vinegar punch, this might disappoint. If you want something different, something evolved, this delivers.
