***UPDATED 28/01/26 – VISIT 22/10/25***
There was much fanfare when the Chase family announced the revival of their whisky distilling project in 2025 under the name Rosemaund Farm Distillery (named after the location of the distillery formerly known as Chase in Herefordshire). Having sold the Chase business to Diageo (who subsequently moved production up to Scotland) the family saw a chance to bring the distillery back into their hands and rescue the whisky casks that Diageo had shown little to no interest in. I went to visit and see what was brewing (sorry) at the largest little distillery in Herefordshire for myself in October last year.
Firstly, the site is set in bucolic surroundings – think tree-lined driveway, orchards and views you’d pay good money to wake up to. The site itself is quasi-industrial (a fascinating heritage, more on that later), but the main distillery building stands strident with its massive metal framed windows and new logo, designed to reflect the site’s architecture and heritage.
I met Lorna Chase in the reception-cum-bar area where a fireplace and scandi-style furniture offered a welcoming, yet classy intro to the space. The now iconic Rosemaund whisky bottles lined the rear shelf of the bar (sadly filled with Apple juice for display purposes, having sold out of the first release within 24 hours). However, the site was calm and quiet, not yet having re-started production. I briefly met James Chase, who was in another meeting at the time, and overall the welcome was warm, genuine and mixed with a frisson of childish excitement at finally being back in their own space and sharing their new / old venture with the world.
Lorna took me on a tour around the distillery – a building originally designed as a hop kiln and subsequently used by the British government as an agriculture research space. It has a touch of soviet-style pragmatism to it, but also inherent beauty in the expansive architecture and quirky spaces – designed for other uses but coming back to life (if only in vision at this stage) as the setting for whisky themed experiences. But it is abundantly clear that this is a building that most recently housed a colossal gin and vodka making apparatus – much of which is useless to the new purpose of whisky production.
Having just blended and bottled their first release (a ten year old, no less), the only piece of equipment the Chase family (and new master blender Tristan Stephenson of Black Rock fame) could have utilised is the gargantuan bottling line – however their new bottles (short and squat) didn’t fit in a line designed for the tall, elegant chase glass – so that too was done by hand on a single filling station. It almost feels like a whisky brand squatting in a vodka distillery… but things are due to change.
Production is due to start up this year, with wash from Hobson’s brewery kick-starting this renaissance and reflecting the original product’s origin. However, at some point the potato vodka machinery will be removed and a new mashing hall created so that everything can be done on site. There’s potentially space for a malting floor, but currently that’s more a pipe-dream and the focus is on re-starting production and renovating the space to be more whisky friendly (a not insignificant task).
Throughout my tour, as well as absorbing Lorna’s boundless energy and enthusiasm to be back in the distilling world and literally ‘back on the family farm’, I got a sense of a new craft distillery – albeit one wearing older, oversized clothes – starting from the ground up. By bringing in Tristan to shape the first release was a nod not to their local audience, but a more modern global whisky audience looking for flavour (which the inaugural release has in abundance) and genuine connection to provenance and place.
It also doesn’t hurt that Guy Ritchie is onboard (albeit in a small capacity) and brought with him his ‘Wild Kitchen / Wild Table’ concept – an outdoor cooking and eating tent that acts as the last stop on future tours with wild cooking and local produce at its heart. This is a well thought out, considered and authentic space that will appeal to existing whisky drinkers, but also lovers of outdoor life, great ingredients, meals with friends in a nature setting and groups looking for unique experiences & celebrations.
It won’t be cheap to visit here and do the full tour, tasting and outdoor meal – but for many it will be well worth it to experience a piece of English whisky heritage with deep and resilient Herefordshire roots. The Chase family have re-branded many times from farmers, to crisps, to vodka and now back to a passion project that began over 10 years ago and has finally found its footing – having never actually left – but equally never having been in the limelight until now. And all eyes are on Rosemaund as the second release calls this Spring.
Perhaps the chase is finally over and the chickens have once more come home to roost. We’ll certainly be keeping a keen watch on progress and bring you updates as they arise.
***PREVIOUS ARTICLE 17/09/2025***
In 2021, Diageo bought Chase Distillery off the Chase family & subsequently moved production from the Rosemaund Farm site in Herefordshire to Cameronbridge in Scotland earlier this year. A shame, one might think, but whilst the Chase Gin brand is no longer physically (or emotionally) tied to the land South of the border, a quiet revolution has been taking place at Rosemaund Farm that looks to put the Chase family right back into the spirits spotlight – only this time, with whisky, not gin and vodka.
You see, the Chase family may have made their fortune from potatoes (Tyrell’s crisps then Chase white spirits), but they had a secret passion for whisky that saw them lay down stock as early as 2012 as a side-project to the white spirits game. It is this stock – ignored or unwanted by Diageo – that will form the inaugural release (at ten years of age!) for Rosemaund Farm Distillery – a collaborative project between the Chase family (William, James and Lorna) alongside investment from Guy Ritchie (yes, that Guy Ritchie) and Tristan Stephenson (of Black Rock Bars and Whisky Me fame).
The Inaugural Rosemaund Release
So, what can we expect from this first release, the ‘old’ Chase spirit, and the future distillation (due to restart in 2026) from this ‘new’ distillery in Herefordshire. Well, an article from 2014 stated they were working with Hobsons brewery in Shropshire to produce an American ‘Bourbon’ style liquid, but by 2019 an article in the Spirits Business declared they’d shifted to producing single malt whisky with locally grown Maris Otter barley. There were ambitions to release whisky that year, so we can assume production started as early as 2015 on the single malt production (especially given this year they’re releasing 10 year old liquid).
The inaugural release is by ballot only – and with 2700 bottles it’s going to be a hard fought scrabble to obtain one. At £126 bottle some may be put off trying something unknown, but for context many first release 3 year old whiskies are in the region of £70-100 so this feels reasonable given the extra age and reduced quantity of liquid form the years of maturation. We will try and get our hands on a bottle and open it for our members to try either online or in person if successful.
According to the article in the Financial times, blender Tristan Stephenson has chosen casks that provide a profile reminiscent of the distillery location – so apple notes as a nod to Herefordshire’s orchards and cider production, alongside casks showing almond and meadow flower aromas. There is a second ballot planned before the end of 2025 and with 500 casks in store there should be a fair few releases coming before the new spirit matures.
The Future of Rosemaund Farm Distillery
And what of the future? Production is due to re-start next year with the same key ingredients. Whether the stills and other equipment are the same as that used on the earlier liquid is unknown, but all of the elements are there – locally grown heritage barley, grown, distilled and matured in Herefordshire. We presume the barley is floor malted (perhaps at Warminster) but this is still to be confirmed.
We can’t wait to visit (tours and tastings coming soon apparently), organise a members tour and – hopefully – share bottles of their whisky for many years to come. IT’s an exciting new addition to the English Whisky scene and one that – with the involvement of Guy Ritchie – is certainly gaining column inches and showcasing the category to a wider audience, which should (one hopes) benefit all English whisky brands.
Stay tuned for more as we hear it.
Rosemaund Farm Distillery Ballot
Enter the ballot & find out more here: https://www.rosemaund.com
Read about more English whisky distilleries, releases and more over on our blog page
