Chase vodka calls for end to 'fake distilleries'

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Published on Friday, 14 December 2012 11:52

Written by Carol Emmas

Chase Vodka founder William Chase has accused large and smaller distilleries of passing off mass-produced spirits as "homemade" and hiring PR firms to come up with "twee" stories so they can pretend to be something they're not.

Chase Vodka founder William Chase has accused large and smaller distilleries of passing off mass-produced spirits as "homemade" and hiring PR firms to come up with "twee" stories so they can pretend to be something they're not.

The founder of the Chase Vodka brand and the new Williams Great British Extra Dry Gin has called for the industry to put an end to what he calls "fake distilleries".

He said it is time for food and drink producers to be honest with the buying public, in other words: "If it's factory produced then don't advertise it as 'homemade'. If it's the same beverage, don't change the label just to increase the price," he said.

Chase said the reason he got into the distilling business was that the famous brands such as Grey Goose, Belvedere and Ketel that are owned by massive companies, focus on mass cheaply produced products, but lead the consumer to think it's high quality by charging a premium.

He added that everyone from small start-ups to large corporations are now hiring public relations firms to come up with "twee stories", so they can pretend to be something they're not.

In contrast, Chase said its distillery specifically uses farm-grown ingredients to produce Williams Great British Extra Dry Gin and distills organically grown potatoes into vodka through a bespoke still.

Chase cited a northern England distillery that sells bottles of gin at three different prices: £15, £25 and £35 but the gin itself is the same. He accused the distillery of hardly changing the botanical mix, with the only difference between the three is the bottle design.

He added: "Now new small distilleries are popping up, pretending to produce homemade spirits when it's all made with cheap ingredients. It's not as bad if it's a small operation but when it starts getting mass marketed, then it becomes a con job."

Chase founded Tyrrells English Crisps in 2002 and sold three-quarters of it to Langholm Capital in 2008. His idea for producing vodka came about after seeing all the leftover potatoes that weren't good enough for his crisps. Then in 2004, he found a small distillery in the US making potato vodka.

"It's not just about my brand, it's about this segment of the market. I don't want people to see my product and, because of cheap imitators, think it just another one of those mass-produced beverages you can buy in bulk," Chase said.

He added: "I'm not saying everyone has to have their own farm to grow their own ingredients. I am saying they should contract with farmers to get the best product. Then put more time and effort into the distilling process."

However, Chase's does now sell through Tesco, when he formerly refused in order to protect the brand's reputation.

Sam Galsworthy, founder of the microdistillery Sipsmith, said he has faith in the consumer in noticing the difference between what is mass-produced and what is not. He said he has also noticed that a growing number of consumers are as concerned about the provenance of the alcohol they drink as the food they eat.

"Hundreds of people knock on our distillery door every month, eager to learn about the craft of producing small-batch gin. Many of our visitors have observed that difference between hand-crafted and mass-produced gin is in the flavour and I have faith in consumers that taste drives them to buy Sipsmith over mass-produced gins, regardless of packaging.

He added: "Having one's own distillery – and Sipsmith is the first in London for for nearly 200 years – is vital as a result, because consumers get to see first hand who made it, where it is made, how it is made, even when it is made and likewise by whom it is made."

Justifying its production methods and premiumisation, Grey Goose said it uses the finest natural ingredients of wheat and water with no neutral spirits, with a "unique" four-stage milling process.

A spokesperson said: "The freshly milled wheat then enters a state-of-the-art five-step column distillation process, designed to develop the essential extract to create Grey Goose's exceptional taste. It is then transported to France's Cognac region ready for blending with local spring water, and finally, bottling.

"Each step of its production, from field to bottle, is controlled and overseen by François Thibault, a talented maître de chai [cellar master] and the Grey Goose team. In ensuring the consistent quality of the product and maintaining this high standard, Grey Goose is put through 550 checks each day, and every batch goes through rigorous tastings with the maître de chai and a panel of tasting experts before it is bottled and distributed."

Belvedere Vodka also defends itself by saying it's "not a super-premium vodka because of its price tag".

Claire Smith, head of spirit creation and mixology, said: " BelvedereIt is a super-premium Vodka because of its unparalleled commitment to selecting the finest raw materials, understanding how to get the best out of these raw materials, protecting the environment, and supporting the protection of 600+ years of Polish vodka making tradition. For Belvedere, being the first super-premium Vodka brings a responsibility to constantly maintain and reinforce the importance of only using the best techniques, materials and talent in order to set the standard for what it means to be ‘super-premium' today and in the future."

She added: "We are not responsible for the standard to which other ‘super-premium' vodkas hold themselves. We can only hope that they share in the Belvedere philosophy that the true test of an exceptional spirit is the spirit itself, and not the elaborate packaging nor the status of the celebrity that endorses it."