Chase Distillery expands its spirits empire
Chase Distillery, which launched the first English potato vodka in 2008, is now selling “four to five times what we were selling this time last year” as demand grows for its premium spirits, chief distiller Jamie Baxter told FoodManufacture.co.uk.
The firm, which supplies customers including Waitrose, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and high-end restaurants and bars, has recently developed a swathe of new products including a limited edition marmalade vodka (“it’s not ‘flavoured’ we literally distill it in marmalade” said Baxter), smoked vodka, a range of vodka-distilled fresh fruit liqueurs, an apple vodka (Naked Chase) made from organic cider apples grown on Chase’s estate in Herefordshire and a gin from the apple vodka base.
Chase Distillery uses a copper batch pot still to produce its vodka, which is distilled three times through this and then twice through a 70-foot rectification column, said Baxter. “It’s twice the price of Smirnoff for a reason. You don’t want to add Red Bull, it’s something to drink neat – although it makes a great cocktail.”
Export markets
While the firm was seeing strong demand from UK customers, export markets represented a significant growth opportunity, he said. “We’re already selling to Spain, Germany, Holland and Canada, but there are lots of other markets we are looking at. People are getting more and more interested in provenance in spirits and they like our story.”
The fact that Chase vodka had scooped the top prize in the world spirits awards at San Francisco earlier this year had also given it a strong boost in the US market, he said. “It’s a lovely vodka, smooth, thick and creamy with a bit of a burn but also a hint of sweetness.”
