This was a piece I wrote for Edinburgh Whisky Blog, one of the premier whisky blogs available. Originally hosted here.
Chase Vodka reviewed at Bon Vivant’s Companion by Joe; our friend, guest blogger, journalist and professional bartender
There is a refreshing trend developing in ‘premium’ spirits towards distilleries run by real people, in real places, with real cool philosophies. The days of bullshit imported neutral spirit being re-distilled with a couple of local ingredients lobbed in are long since over. This revival has most commonly been seen in the great gin uprising of the past 10 years but there exists a close circle of distillers willing to go the extra mile to apply this school of thought to creating truly artisanal vodkas.
The Chase family story is a prime example of this emphasis on the real. After five generations of farming in Herefordshire the family were declared bankrupt in the late 90s. They became a casualty of the supermarket price wars that drove farming profits into the ground. They were reborn in 2002 with the creation of Tyrell’s crisps and two years later became the first brand ever to refuse Tesco’s offer to carry their products. Continue reading
What Joe Wrote 