Diageo has confirmed the shifting of production of its UK craft gin and vodka business, Chase, just over four years after acquiring the company.
The group, which spent an undisclosed sum on Chase in October 2020, said late last week that the decision had been taken in June last year to “transform the brand supply”, a move that has now been completed. While details on where distillation has moved to were not disclosed, local reports claim the namesake brand’s full portfolio will be handled at Diageo’s Cameronbridge distillery, which is claimed to be the world’s largest, almost 400 miles from Chase’s original home.
Chase was founded in 2008, with Diageo saying at the time of purchase that the gin and vodka portfolio was “distilled from scratch using British-grown potatoes, apples and all-natural botanicals on the Chase Farm in Herefordshire”.
When contacted by Global Drinks Intel last week, a company spokesperson said: “Since acquiring Chase … , we have seen substantial change in the vodka and gin categories. To future proof Chase, we took the decision to renovate the liquid, revitalise the packaging and transform the brand supply to drive its efficiency
“ These developments are designed to create future growth opportunities for the brand.”
Qualifying the “substantial” changes, Diageo saw its flagship Tanqueray gin and Smirnoff vodka brands post sales declines in the 12 months to the end of June of 11% and 3% respectively. The company will announce results for the second half of 2024 – H1 of its fiscal 2025 – on 4 February.
