Devotees of Chase Vodka – the only English potato vodka – will be able to buy their tipple from hundreds of supermarket outlets as a result of a tie-up with Sainsbury's.
Chase Vodka was
named last March as the "World's Best Vodka" at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, beating 249 rivals from around the world. Now it is to go on sale in 280 Sainsbury's stores later this month.
Its manufacturer, Chase Distillery, recently agreed a deal with Waitrose to sell the product in all its 230-plus stores, up from 80 initially.
A single bottle of Chase Vodka – made from up to 150 potatoes – sells for £32 a bottle but has attracted a huge fan base worldwide. It is made entirely from potatoes grown on the Chase family farm in Herefordshire and Chase is currently the only UK distillery to make spirits from homegrown ingredients.
Chase Distillery was founded by William Chase, who created the posh crisp brand Tyrrells Crisps which he sold to private equity for £30m in 2008. He said: "We are delighted that Sainsbury's have recognised the quality and genuine provenance of Chase Vodka. We are proud to be linked with a retailer of their prominence."