|
Russia may lay claim to a 600-year tradition of vodka making and
the spirits 'Quality Standards' may have been established by Tsar
Alexander III in 1894 but England has officially become the home of
the world's finest vodka.
Chase Vodka, from Herefordshire, has won the 2010 San Francisco World
Spirits Competition, beating 249 rivals from around the world,
including the output of the finest Russian and Polish distilleries.
30 independent experts adjudged Chase Vodka to have the best taste at
a blind tasting of 115 vodka's from around the world.
"There were more than a few disgruntled comments from the
established distillers that a company from England had won the
accolade," admitted potato entrepreneur William Chase yesterday.
William Chase virtually created the hand-cooked, premium potato crisp
market in 2002 when he produced Tyrrells Crisps. He sold Tyrrells to
a private equity company in 2008 for £30 million and promptly
'chipped' in with £3 million for distilling equipment.
Despite having no background in producing spirits, he aimed for the
premium end of the vodka market and used potatoes from his own farm
instead of the uninteresting grains that are generally employed
throughout the industry.
Chase Vodka only produces 1,000 bottles a week - a mere drop in the
global ocean that is the world's appetite for vodka. The United
States has become their largest market but Chase also export to
Europe and even Russia!
"Normally we sell something like 100 bottles a week online, but
in the last few days we have been selling 300 or 400 bottles a
day," said Mr Chase.
"We can make about 3,000 bottles a week with the kit we have got
and because it is premium we wouldn't want to make more than that. We
don't want to be mass market."
The secret of Chase's success is in the spuds: "The reason other
people stopped making vodka out of potatoes is because you need so
many spuds," he said.
"The first time we made vodka we had an artic-load of spuds and
there was only a few litres. You can get a bit more of a yield out of
wheat but with the potatoes it has a natural sweetness to the product
and the consistency of a fine wine."
William Chase grew up in Herefordshire, borrowing £200,000 to
buy the family farm from his father after the death of his mother in
1984, and setting up a successful potato business growing, trading,
storing and supplying premium potatoes.
In the 1990s, disillusioned with continual price pressure from
supermarket customers and in need of a new challenge, William
established the Tyrrells potato and vegetable chips business, turning
it into a £40m premium brand within a decade.
In 2004, whilst travelling in the USA, William stumbled on a small
distillery making potato vodka and decided that it would be more fun
making vodka than chips. An instinctive marketeer, he realised there
would be a market for a high-quality vodka with provenance and
pedigree and, having taken years to source the best distilling
equipment, in 2008 he sold his majority holding in Tyrrells to found
Williams Chase Distillery.
Today, Williams Chase Distillery produces super-premium,
award-winning vodka, gin and speciality liqueurs from potatoes and
apples grown on William's Herefordshire farm. Products are available
online, from quality retailers nationwide including Selfridges,
Fortnum & Masons and Waitrose, as well as top bars, hotels and
restaurants throughout the country. |
