In Good Spirits: Seasonal Contrasts
Our intrepid Libation Correspondent finds the kick for every autumnal occasion.
‘Tis the season for country pursuits. I was lucky enough to be amongst friends on a wholesome family shoot over the weekend – a tradition itself, but as time goes on, one that spawns newer traditions. For instance, a negroni at elevenses. It’s good fun, and the beaters (who do all of the hard work) have come to expect it. A negroni and a homemade sausage roll in the great outdoors: hard to beat. As the sun bade us goodbye, I spotted an unopened bottle of ten-year-old Taylor’s Tawny Port. The consensus was that there was no better way to round off a day in the open, and this nutty but fruity tawny was the perfect pick-me-up. They do say the company and setting is as important as the drink itself, but it’s got me unexpectedly craving my next tawny.
Taylor’s Ten-Year-Old Tawny Port
Normal routine resumed; it was time to make a dent in some of the game I’d taken home. It’s quite fun pairing wine with game birds, an opportunity to make use of a lighter style that doesn’t always lend itself so well to my regular wine diet. With roast partridge, I opted for a Régnié (pronounced “rehn-yay”), one of the ten crus of Beaujolais, sandwiched between Morgon and Brouilly. The wines are 100% Gamay, and those from Régnié pack a punch of (borderline aggressive) vibrancy, while still maintaining that wistful fruitiness particular to the grape, thus complementing the humble partridge.
Régnié, Domaine de la Margot 2024
Available at The Wine Society, £11.95
Onto London, where great things were happening this week. First stop, The River Café, a bolthole of joy in a strange old part of London. The walk there felt trepidatious, but after my first sip of Billecart-Salmon, all was forgotten. I was there for a truffle lunch, all dishes paired with Billecart-Salmon champagne. Now, I have to admit that I can be a bit of a cynic when it comes to champagne food pairings but I make an exception with Billecart-Salmon. These guys understand texture like no other. Their “Le Sous Bois” wines are aged in oak, and if it wasn’t for the light bubbles, you’d be forgiven for thinking someone had put a pretty good white burgundy into a Sodastream. Forgive the joke, but these wines are so well integrated, they could never be confused for anything else. And what a delight it was to enjoy the richness of truffles alongside wines that boasted incredible depth and freshness, with the added perkiness of a bubble.
Billecart-Salmon are also known for their impeccable rosé. Lunch concluded with a “simple” almond tart, served with Crème Fraiche and Champagne Billecart-Salmon Elizabeth Salmon Rosé 2012. In the words of Emily English, “Inject this into my veins.”
Champagne Billecart-Salmon Le Clos Saint Hilaire 2009
Available at The Finest Bubble, £450
Champagne Billecart-Salmon Elizabeth Salmon Rosé 2012
My final stop was at the Lore of the Land, Guy Ritchie’s pub in Fitzrovia, to meet the Chase family, Mr Ritchie himself, and the rest of the team behind the new launch that is Rosemaund Whisky. I’m sitting with the whisky (First Release: The Revival Autumn 2025) as I write this, the seductive scent of toffee apple enveloping the air, along with hints of expensive suncream (which evokes such happiness), and nettle flowers. It’s a lovely glass of English whisky, made even better by the wonderful people behind it.
It’s sort of a happy accident that we have ended up with Rosemaund. William Chase kicked things off in Herefordshire with potato farming, followed by potato trading after he recognised the potential in Kettle Chips’ usage of irregular potatoes that had been rejected by supermarkets. Several months later, Mr Chase had created his own supply, and with it, the brand that we know and love today, Tyrrells. In 2008, having sold the upmarket crisp company, Mr Chase wondered what his next potato-propelled venture was. The answer, of course, was premium vodka (lucky us that he didn’t choose chips), and so was born Chase Spirits.
The distillery was subsequently acquired by Diageo, but in a stroke of good luck, the corporation offered the Chase family the opportunity to buy their farm back after deciding to move all Chase Spirit production up north (a pipe dream for every farmer who has had to relinquish their land). The reacquisition included 500 casks of whisky – which was part of the original sale – and they launched their first English single malt this year, Rosemaund Farm Whisky, from Herefordshire.
They grow their own Maris Otter barley, a regenerative strain of the grain that helpfully nurtures the soil. As they expand, they will have to start buying barley beyond their perimeter, but their objective is to keep things as local as possible. These days, William’s son, James, manages the business and commercial operations, working with distillery manager, William Skinner, as well as his sister-in-law, Lorna Chase, who oversees all the marketing and brand development, and is married to Harry Chase, involved with the farming and agricultural side of operations.
And then there’s Guy Ritchie. A filmmaker who loves his whisky to the degree that it’s become one of his most consistent props, his collaboration with the Chase family and Rosemaund feels beautifully inevitable. His “incredible attention to detail” serves as an interesting contrast with the standard “make-do” (usually with a bit of bale twine) attitude of farmers. One needs the yin to their yang. I am excited to visit the distillery and tell you more about it in the future – for now, they are working on a ballot system with the released bottles.
Rosemaund Single Malt English Whisky
Visit Rosemaund.com or for enquiries about buying a cask, or contact james@rosemaund.com
