A process for the manufacture of a tocyl acylate or a tocopheryl acylate comprises reacting tocol or a tocopherol with an acylating agent in the presence of a solid heterogeneous Bronsted acid catalyst, said catalyst being an inorganic Bronsted acid on a solid carrier material which comprises silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide or both silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide, or being an organofunctional polysilonaxe featuring sulpho groups, the solid heterogeneous Bronsted acid catalyst further featuring a BET surface area from about 10 m.sup.2/g to about 800 m.sup.2/g and a pore volume from about 0.1 ml/g to about 2.0 ml/g. The main commercial form of vitamin E, being (all-rac)-.alpha.-tocopheryl acetate, can be manufactured by acylation of (all-rac)-.alpha.-tocopherol according to this process.