Low cost Khastawi dates was fermented at 30 ?C for 48 days through spontaneous (without artificial inoculation) and simultaneous unique cycle process according to the overall traditional procedure used in Iraq. The levels of ethanol, acetic acid and total sugar during the production of vinegar were determined by chromatographic, titrimetric and refractometric methods, respectively. The spontaneous fermentation of the clarified juice produced 4.02% (w/v) of acetic acid and 0.176% (w/v) ethanol after 33 days of fermentation. The total soluble sugar of the juice was reduced from 17.80 to 6.44 (w/v), which means that only 63.28% of the total sugars present at the medium were utilized by the spontaneous fermentation processes. These results indicate that 2 kg of low quality dates can yield 5 L of 4% (w/v) acid, which is economically valuable. The industrially manufactured vinegars (except Al Badawi from Iraq) presented minimum acidity of 4.00%, value that is demanded by most international legislation, whereas all artisanally manufactured vinegars, showed lower acid percentage (0.90-3.24% w/v). On the other hand, the majority of both types had alcohol contents between 0.001 and 2.877%. Based on the concept of Al Istihlak (assimilation or consumption) most halal certifying bodies accept small amounts of inherent alcohol.