I was amused to read that an English spirit has just won the title of Best Vodka at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The Daily Mail reports:
Chase Vodka – produced in Hereford - has beaten 115 rivals from around the globe to win an international competition.
The accolade was handed to William Chase who started making the drink two years ago after selling his Tyrells crisp brand for £30 million.
The 45-year-old entrepreneur had no distilling experience but decided to aim for the gourmet end of the market and invested £3 million building a distillery.
All the potatoes are grown on his Rosemaund Farm near Hereford before being added to water, fermented, and then distilled and bottled - which all takes place on site.
The spuds are said to give Chase a 'natural sweetness' which tastes better than traditional vodkas made from cheaper wheat or rye grains.
It takes around 35 lbs of potatoes, which would cost about £25 in the shops, to produce one 70cl bottle which sells for £32.95.
Mr Chase said: ‘The reason other people stopped making vodka out of potatoes is because you need so many spuds.
‘The first time we made vodka we had an attic-load of spuds and there was only a few litres.
‘You can get a bit more of a yield out of wheat but with the potatoes it has a natural sweetness to the product and the consistency of a fine wine.’
Further character is added by the production method, which uses a 70ft tall copper column which plays an integral part in the distillation process.
Mr Chase said: ‘One of the unique things about our vodka is it is made from a traditional copper pot, which gives it its character.
‘We boil it up in the copper pot and it has a column and it bubbles away in there and condenses and evaporates about 50 times.
‘A lot of people just make the vodka then filter it whereas we do all of that in the distillation process, so there are already no impurities.
‘To make spirits is like a fine art. It isn’t just a process.’
There's more at the link.
I've had the opportunity to sample Chase Vodka, and I have to admit, it has a smoothness and 'purity' - for want of a better word - that's hard to describe. I'm not a heavy drinker, and particularly not of strong spirits, but this is certainly the best vodka I've ever tasted (in my limited experience). I note on the distillery's Web site that they're experimenting with fruit liqueurs, and something they call - of all things! - a marmalade vodka.
Well . . . being of English extraction, I'm rather fond of marmalade, particularly on toast at breakfast time. I wonder if this stuff might replace Buck's Fizz as a breakfast tipple? I might just have to shell out a few smackeroos for a bottle, to find out!
(Where's that lip-smacking smiley when you need it?)
Peter
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