Page 7 - Chase Case Study

Vodka – The start

Vodka is anything fermented from an agricultural base,
distilled typically to 96 per cent ABV, it is then diluted with

water to around 40 per cent ABV. Theoretically, vodka can

be made from anything that contains starch or sugars. Such
as bananas or beetroots.

Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a

standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is
contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage

(expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number

of milliliters of pure ethanol present in 100 milliliters
(3.4 US fl. oz) of solution at 20 °C (68 °F). The ABV standard

is used worldwide.

Unlike its rivals, Chase Vodka is not made in a large

commercial distillery. Instead, it is made on a 400-acre farm

in Herefordshire – a former government research facility –
bought for £4m. And, unlike most vodkas, it is made from

potatoes, homegrown Lady Claire and Lady Rosetta. rather

than grain and distilled in a traditional still and then passed

through his 70-foot copper rectification column (the largest

in Europe costing £2 million).

"Mass-produced brands taste like nail varnish remover

because all the nasties are left in" William Chase

Where rival small producers simply buy cheap base spirits

made from grain for around 25p a litre, which are then run

through their own stills, Chase’s protracted and vertically
integrated processes bring the costs up to around £4 a litre;

it takes 250 potatoes to make each bottle of Chase Vodka.