Butyl acetate is produced from acetic acid and butanol via an esterification reaction in a reactive distillation column. Entrainer can be used for efficient removal of produced water from the reaction region, leading to significant improvement of the column performance. Batch reactive distillation has clear advantages over continuous one in terms of flexibility and adaptability in a small plant. We studied batch and semi-batch reactive distillation processes through process simulation and pilot-scale experiments. We investigated process configuration and type of entrainer for improvement of the column performance and suggested a novel cyclic operation strategy using the semi batch reactive distillation column. The cyclic strategy was shown to give relatively high production rate and stable operation.