Page 6 - Chase Case Study Final

Obsessive Zeal –V- Obsessive Compulsive

Chase is scathing of many of the new artisan gin producers popping up
across the UK. "There are a lot of twee stories in this market. Most of
these so-called artisan or boutique distillers just buy in neutral grain spirit
for 20p a litre; it costs us about £4 a litre [to make]," he explains with a
degree of underdog pride in Chase's field-to-bottle approach.

The company sells its £38- a-bottle spirits in Waitrose and Booths, but
Chase is wary of the supermarket giants – in the early days of Tyrrells,
he sparked a media frenzy over his refusal to sell his crisps in Tesco.

Spirits are often treated by big retailers as a loss leader, shunted into
aggressive promotions – and Chase doesn't have the capacity to be
selling at a discount. Instead, it sells through wine merchants, who

appreciate the "pedigree… It costs what it does. We're not making any
money out of it," Chase claims, " because it's expensive to make." Each
batch numbered bottle is a true labour of love, using traditional methods

to produce the finest, smoothest vodka with true provenance.

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 millilitres of pure ethanol present in 100 millilitres
(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 farm in Herefordshire. And, unlike most
vodkas, it’s made from potatoes rather than grain.

"Mass-produced brands taste like nail varnish remover because all the
nasties are left in" William Chase