North Yorkshire potato farmer wins award for still to be launched Priory Potato vodka

Gin, beer and wine are already part of Yorkshire agriculture’s burgeoning business romance with alcohol and its latest entrant David Rawlings of Priory Farm, Syningthwaite, near Thorp Arch, has already distilled success before a bottle has gone on sale.

Priory Vodka made from a small acreage of David’s potato crop that is otherwise destined for McCain’s and McDonald’s fries won two prestigious Gold awards at the Global Spirits Masters in autumn 2017 with one judge describing it as “pure, fruity and floral”.

When this year’s rural show season gets under way David and his team will be on hand to offer tastings and sell their bespoke, award-winning vodka direct to customers complete with the rustic marketing of a hessian bottle bag.

David Rawlings:

“We were delighted to receive such accolades from the experts and spirit connoisseurs.”

“It has taken three years from when we took an interest in how a Hereford farmer had diversified..”

“He’d wanted to put his potatoes to better use and has done very well with his Chase Vodka. Around the same time we had a Polish man called Eric join us on the farm.”

“Ask anyone from Poland and they will tell you they know more about vodka than the Russians. It was a happy coincidence that Eric joined us when he did and when a good friend of mine called Neville came over from Australia our vodka-making team was formed.”

“At this moment only an acre of our 60 acres of potatoes is being used for vodka and that allows us to produce 200 bottles per week.”

“We’re not in full production yet, but we will be shortly as our Priory Vodka goes on general sale to selected farm shop outlets.”

David Rawlings 500-acre Priory Farm is predominantly arable oriented growing wheat, barley, oilseed rape, beans and potatoes.