To provide a purification method capable of obtaining optically active 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanol with high purity.

The optically active 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanol with high purity can be obtained by reacting with an aralkyl halide a mixture comprising optically active 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanol and a 1-4C lower alcohol in the presence of a base to selectively obtain an aralkyl ether of the optically active 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanol and performing dearalkylation reaction of the aralkyl ether. The method can be suitably applied as the purification method of asymmetric reduction of 1,1,1-trifluoroacetone, utilizing a biological method.