In 2008, William Chase, the man behind Tyrells, founded Chase Distillery. The farm distillery is based in Herefordshire, which boasts some of the richest farmland in the world. Here it grows King Edward, Lady Claire and Lady Rosetta potatoes which are distilled into its range of award-winning spirits. ‘It is so important to us to produce only the best premium spirits which have true provenance, sustainability and importantly taste. Nothing we use in our products is artificial,’ says William.
William prides himself on his family business model and every batch of spirits is signed off by a family member. Today, his sons play a key role in the business. Harry, his eldest, manages Chase Farm and 300 acres of potatoes while James, as head brand ambassador, travels the world spreading the field-to-bottle message. ‘We’re one of the very few family-run and owned drinks brands operating in this very saturated marketplace,’ says William.
The distillery is housed in a converted hop kiln barn where Chase adopts traditional methods using a bespoke copper batch pot called ‘Fat Betty’, ‘Maximus’, one of the tallest rectification columns of its kind standing at 70 feet, and ‘Ginny’, a carter head still. Unlike most distilleries, Chases makes its spirits from scratch rather than buying in a ready-made neutral grain spirit. It believes if people care about the terroir of their wines or the barrel-ageing of their whiskies, so why shouldn’t they care about the traceability of their white spirits?
Chase believes in a truly sustainable approach to farming and creating spirits, which is why it lets nothing go to waste. It creates its own energy from an on-site bio-boiler, ‘Huxley’, which is powered using the prunings from its apple orchards. All of the farm’s potato waste goes to fertilise its fields or feed the herd of pedigree Hereford cattle. Wherever possible the fresh ingredients used in its products are sourced from the family farm or from local and trusted Herefordshire suppliers. As farmers at heart, Chase values the countryside, every inch of it, from field to bottle.
It creates its own energy from an on-site bio-boiler, ‘Huxley’; which is powered using the prunings from its apple orchards. All of the farm’s potato waste fertilises its fields
Chase makes a wide selection of vodkas and gins but is best known for its Original Potato Vodka and GB Gin. The Chase Vodka is of exquisite quality and made from home-grown potatoes and water from Chase’s own borehole. Two-hundred and fifty potatoes go into the making of every bottle and it is distilled for a pure, rich taste. The smooth and creamy flavour profile is perfect for the ultimate martini.
Chase GB Gin is Britain’s first field-to-bottle gin and is crafted by copper pot distilling Chase Potato Vodka with ten botanicals; juniper, coriander seed, bitter almond, cinnamon bark, ginger, cloves, angelica root, liquorice root, lemon peel kibbles, and cardamom. This smooth yet bursting with flavour extra dry gin is perfectly balanced with juniper, spice and citrus. Chase recommends pairing this gin with lots of ice, a premium tonic and a fresh slice of ginger to enhance the natural flavours of the botanicals.
Chase exports its award- winning spirits to over 40 countries around the world. In 2010 Chase won the title of ‘World’s Best Tasting Vodka’ at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition and, in 2016, its Chase GB Gin was voted ‘double gold’ and best in class at the San Francisco Spirits Competition. ‘I truly believe it’s the rich, red Hereford soil and the field to bottle mentality that have led to some of our spirits being named the world’s best,’ William says.
