The family behind Chase Gin has returned to its Herefordshire distillery only a few years after selling the operation to Diageo. This time, however, they’re leaving gin in the past and embracing a new spirit altogether: English single malt whisky.

Named after the family farm in the agricultural heartland of Herefordshire, the launch of Rosemaund Farm Whisky marks Chase’s return to the world of spirits. Yet Rosemaund is not a new concept – its inaugural release is 10 years old, making it England’s second-oldest whisky.

Having established their name with the eponymous gin and vodka brand in 2008, effectively spearheading the British gin renaissance, the Chase family sold the distillery and brand to Diageo in 2021 amid mounting commercial pressure and competition in the gin category.

Credit: Becky Paskin

“It had got to a point that to keep growing our operations we needed support and funding,” explains James Chase, co-founder of Chase Gin and Rosemaund English Whisky. “We knew when the likes of Sipsmith and Monkey 47 were partnering off there was a window for us to find somebody too, and we ultimately found a great connection in Diageo.”

However Chase had also quietly been distilling and laying down stocks of single malt whisky since 2012, stocks of which were sold to Diageo as part of the deal. When it became clear Diageo had no intention of developing an English whisky brand (particularly after the dissolution of Distill Ventures, which managed Fielden), Chase began talks to purchase back the 500 casks it had left behind. 

“I had a plan that was going to be about depleting the whisky over time and once it was gone, it was gone, almost like the forgotten whisky.” Then Diageo called with the news it was moving gin production away from its original home up to Cameronbridge in Scotland, where it produces Gordon’s and Tanqueray. 

Suddenly, Chase’s family home was back on the table. “I didn’t know they wanted to take the brand up to Cameronbridge. They invested a great deal in the distillery and I thought they were going to stay here for the long term. We’d all moved on with our lives in different directions, but the family welcomed the opportunity to buy back the distillery with open arms.”

Harry Chase, Skinner, Lorna Chase, Stephenson and James Chace. Credit: Chris Raphael

The business is a joint venture between brothers James (managing director) and Harry Chase (farming and agriculture), along with their father, William, and Harry’s wife, Lorna (marketing director). Joining them are long-serving distillery manager William Skinner, bar owner Tristan Stephenson who joined the team as master blender, and film director Guy Ritchie.

Although the Snatch and The Gentlemen director’s involvement has garnered headlines and attracted consternation for being ‘just another celebrity-backed whisky’, Ritchie has only a minority stake. After meeting via one of Ritchie’s business partners, Chase said they immediately bonded over a shared love of farming and the countryside. “He's an investor, but also a creative collaborator involved in decision making and helping out James with design,” says Chase, who is hoping Ritchie will place Rosemaund in an upcoming TV series or movie.

Film stars and movie product placements aside, really the story here is one of family redemption, and a homecoming for one of the UK’s pioneering and beloved distilling names.

“We’ve finally got the keys back to the family home,” says Chase. “I’m so thankful to Diageo for giving it to me and presenting us with a very well-invested distillery. We’re going to create local jobs and revive a local business, which is great.”

Credit: Becky Paskin

As for Rosemaund’s whisky, the family are excited to utilise everything the former gin and vodka distillery has to offer to produce whisky – including its giant column still. As distilling halted in 2021 following the sale to Diageo, Rosemaund is currently drawing on limited stocks aged between four and 13 years.

Its first whisky is a 10-year-old single malt (47% abv) produced from Maris Otter barley and matured in a combination of nine first-fill bourbon and three PX sherry casks. Just 2,700 bottles will be allocated via a ballot system at £126 each, with a small number available to independent wine merchants.

Next year will see the release of 5,000 bottles across two ballots in the spring and autumn, each tailored to reflect flavours of the season, growing to an outturn of 10,000 bottles in 2027.

Credit: Becky Paskin

To support its growth, Rosemaund will look to begin distilling whisky again in January next year, producing an initial run of 200 casks over a three month period. As its fermentation equipment is set up to process the apples and potatoes previously used for its gin and vodka, Rosemaund has partnered with Shropshire brewery Hobsons to produce its wash. In time, Rosemaund will aim to release its own single estate whisky made using barley and wheat grown on its own farmland.

A core range may be a while off yet, but in the meantime, Skinner and Stephenson are excited to play with the distillery’s equipment to produce a range of whisky styles, perhaps even creating a single-site blend especially for highballs. 

While it’s an exciting moment for the Chase family, the move back into distilling at a time when operations are shuttering and making mass redundancies is surprising. “It’s a really tricky time in the industry,” Chase admits. "But we've had a long-term, bullish view of the market and we're still confident people will be consuming, premiumising and sharing moments over alcohol, but probably reframed and refined a little bit more from what we're used to.

“There are some amazing English distilleries right now that are leading the charge, and I believe ships rise with the tide.”

Rosemaund may be bullish but with no private equity investment fuelling its stills, it’s staying laser-focused on limited releases, slow growth and emotive, human storytelling. The Chase family’s redemption arc and clearly close knit dynamic are at the heart of what makes Rosemaund such a compelling concept, with or without their famous film director friend.