Chinkiang Vinegar is made using a black glutinous rice, hence the color, and millet or sorghum are also used. Some varieties are really quite dark, albeit not quite black, and this one, as you can see, is much more of a reddish-brown color. In addition to sugar and water, it lists wheat bran (rather than millet or sorghum) as an additional ingredient and I note that the address on the label is for Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, rather than Zhenjiang. Whether the product is manufactured there, or else brewed in Zhenjiang and simply exported through Nanjing I cannot say.
In flavor, Chinkiang vinegar most closely resembles a western malt vinegar, to my mind, but it they are also similar in some aspects to the cheaper Balsamic varieties. The last bottle I had, while darker than this, was also quite mellow and had less than half the acidic bite of common white vinegar. This brand, in contrast is very robust and not likely to be accused of being subtle. The acidity is quite strong and the fruity, malt vinegar quality has a definite smokiness to it that is quite unique. Near the end, there is an odd, but pleasant, hint of dry straw and the aftertaste is very reminiscent of a well-browned breakfast toast. I suspect, although I do not know, that the wheat bran may be roasted before being added to the brew and, if so, this may also account, in part, for the color.