Diageo has completed the acquisition of Chase Distillery, following confirmation of regulatory clearance for the deal last month.
As reported, in October Diageo reached an agreement to acquire the owner of Chase GB Gin and Chase Original Potato Vodka.
Founded in 2008 by entrepreneur William Chase, the Chase Distillery portfolio includes seven gins, four vodkas and an elderflower liqueur. In addition to Chase GB Gin, Chase has developed a number of flavoured gins including Pink Grapefruit & Pomelo, Seville Marmalade and Rhubarb & Bramley Apple Gin. The portfolio also includes Williams Elegant 48 Gin, made using 48 varieties of apple from 200-year old orchards.
“We are delighted to welcome Chase Distillery and its quintessentially British portfolio of high quality, crafted brands to Diageo. We are very much looking forward to working with the Chase team to build on the portfolio’s considerable potential,” said Diageo Great Britain Managing Director Dayalan Nayager.
Chase Distillery places a strong emphasis on sustainability in its business. The spirits portfolio is distilled using British-grown potatoes, apples and natural botanicals on the Chase Farm in Herefordshire. The steam energy used to run the distillery is produced on site from a biomass boiler powered by prunings from the apple orchard, with potato waste used as fertiliser to feed the Farm’s cattle.
The UK is the largest gin market in Europe and between 2014 and 2019 grew at a compound annual growth rate of +17.4% (IWSR). Within the UK gin category, the premium-plus segment is growing at more than twice the rate of the total UK gin category, with a compound annual growth rate of +40% between 2014 and 2019 (IWSR).
