British vodka beats the world!

Chase vodka is made on a farm in Herefordshire, and has been voted the best vodka in the world at the World Spirits Competition in San Francisco. It is a brand born from the entrepreneurial spirit of Will Chase, the founder of Tyrrells Chips, who was looking for something to do with the potatoes grown on his farms that were too small to be used to make crisps. Vodka is usually made from grains, and the premium brands from Russia and Poland retail at up to £35 a bottle, but while looking for something else to do after he had sold most of Tyrrells to a private equity group, Mr Chase came across a potato vodka distillery in the US and spotted an opportunity.

Will and Jamie Baxter, the Chief Distiller at the Chase Distillery, have spent the last few years perfecting the art of producing the vodka. It is entirely made and bottled at the farm near Hereford, and only 1,000 bottles are produced each week. I was lucky enough to visit the distillery last autumn with my Business students, just as the potato harvest was being brought in and stored to allow production to continue throughout the year. It is currently a small scale and intensely local operation, using only potatoes grown on Chase farms (as is also the case for Tyrrells) and using the potato skins to fertilise the fields and potato pulp to feed the farm’s pedigree Hereford cattle. Will Chase says that winning the award has really boostetd interest in the brand in the US, and that he would like to increase output to 2,000 or 3,000 bottles a week now.

So how was such a successful brand developed? In this BBC report Will says that, when he launched Tyrrells crisps, it wasn’t down to expensive advertising but to his own belief in the quality of the product. His own words are eloquent: “It was just me and what I knew was a great product visiting hundreds of little independent stores. So essentially I was the brand, and I was friendly and enthusiastic. If I had been an arrogant jerk, then the shops wouldn’t have taken Tyrrell’s crisps, regardless of how good they are. The owners wouldn’t have wanted to see if the crisps sold. So, certainly when you are starting your own business, the brand is your personality, you have to put your own magic into it.”

However when the business expands it is necessary to rely on more than just individual personality, particularly if the aim is to gain a precious deal with a supermarket. Waitrose often work with small suppliers to help them to improve their brand, which is to the benefit of both sides - just look at the story of Fraser Doherty and Superjam. “Having a clearly identifiable brand that communicates what your product is all about is absolutely vital,” says a Waitrose spokeswoman. The underlying quality of the product obviously has to be there, but the brand needs to communicate with the shopper, it has to stand out from the crowd. For example, you need a good name and how the packaging looks is also very important.” A brand expert is also quoted confirming that, for expansion, the quality of the product is not enough; “Not only does the product have to excel, there needs to be ‘pass on’ value, a reason for talking about the product,” he says. “There needs to be a brand story behind the product that differentiates it from the crowd.”

Chase vodka has a strong story, which you can enjoy at their website - look at the development into other distilled products like Naked Chase apple gin and limited edition Orange Marmalade vodka, and make sure that you have your computer’s speakers turned on to enjoy the background music! Having visited and experienced the passion for the product I can honestly say that all that they say about this ‘artisan vodka’ being a labour of love is true.