It is intended to provide a method capable of industrially and efficiently producing acetic acid having a good potassium permanganate test value without a large cost. The method includes a step of distilling an aqueous phase and/or an organic phase of a column top condensate of a lower boiling point component removal column by a crotonaldehyde removal column; and the reflux ratio of the lower boiling point component removal column is not less than 2 (when the aqueous phase is refluxed), and the crotonaldehyde removal column is operated such that at least one of the following conditions (i) to (iii) is satisfied: (i) the reflux ratio of the distillation column is not less than 0.01; (ii) the ratio of the crotonaldehyde concentration (ppm by mass) in a distillate liquid of the distillation column to the crotonaldehyde concentration (ppm by mass) in a charging mixture (former/latter) is less than 1; and (iii) the ratio of the crotonaldehyde concentration (ppm by mass) in a bottom fraction of the distillation column to the crotonaldehyde concentration (ppm by mass) in a charging mixture (former/latter) is more than 1.
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