Priory Vodka is an award winning new crop for arable farmer David Rawlings

David, from Priory Farm, Syningthwaite, near Wetherby, launched Priory Vodka three years ago using potatoes to form its base spirit.

In those three years the brand has gone from strength to strength, now boasting ten flavoured varieties alongside his original vodka.

The range has been a big success winning two awards at the International Spirit Masters last year. Priory Hot Chilli Vodka was given a Gold award and Priory Grapefruit Vodka was awarded a Silver.

Not one to stand still, David said they had a beetroot flavour and a passion fruit flavour in the pipeline. An award winning Priory Gin has also been added to the mix.

“I’m always trying to make the farm more profitable and I’d seen how my fellow potato farmer, William Chase, had succeeded with his excellent Chase Gin using potatoes as the base spirit.

“He was in at just at the right time, the start of the gin revolution.

“It’s the use of the spud that sets our vodka, and now Priory Gin, apart from many of the rest who use grain.

“We’ve developed our own gin purely as a London dry gin style so far.”

David’s land, being grade two medium loam, is suited to growing wheat, barley and potatoes.

He has 50 acres of his two main varieties, Pentland Dell and Fontaine, which he planted this year and said he is happy with so far.

“The spuds are looking good. We use around five acres of the Pentland Dell variety for our vodka and now the gin."

But this year however he was unable to plant his usual wheat crop.

“This is the first year ever that we have no winter wheat.

“Normally, I’d have 200 acres, but it was so wet throughout autumn and winter that we just couldn’t get any drilled. The seed is still in the shed and I’m hoping that, subject to a germination test coming out okay, I’ll be able to use it this autumn instead. It’s all the soft wheat, biscuit variety Barrel.

“We substituted our winter wheat for 200 acres of spring malting barley variety, Tipple. We’re hoping it will make up for the wheat, but our oilseed rape looks set to bring a poorer return than we would have normally expected as quite a lot of it didn’t survive the rain.”

David said the weather was a key factor when it came to harvesting.

“Harvesting the potatoes is a problem when there’s too much water about as you can affect the soil structure more than you would with a combine harvester. Harvest is during winter and although you will always drive the driest line through fields you are extracting 25 tonnes of produce per acre, which requires six times the amount of trailers you would use for a cereal crop.”

Last year David invested in a bore hole which he said he hoped would not have to be used for irrigation but would supply water for vodka and gin production. But the near-drought conditions in March meant David set about using pumps and pipework from the new bore hole along with an Irrimet irrigation reel.

David said he had seen a “definate change” in the climate over the years.

“Everything seems more extreme with long periods of wet weather and of hot weather,” he said.

Like a number of businesses during lockdown David said Priory Vodka had seen an uplift in online sales.

The spirit is stocked in a number of independent farm shops including Keelham, Ainsty, Fodder and Mainsgill as well as being used in Michelin star restaurants such as the Pipe & Glass at South Dalton and Black Swan at Oldstead.

It is also stocked at Green’s Country Store run by his old friend Chris Jefferys which can be found at Thirsk Livestock market.

The sales have grown through word of mouth, awards we’ve won along the way and the hard work of Charlotte (Wood), my neice.

“We’ve not tried to run before we could walk, and we enjoy showing off our spirits at shows and events.

“As they’re not around at present we are seeing a lift in our online sales.”

With the success of the vodka and gin lines already established, David is just about to launch the on-farm distillery’s first rum. Instead of potatoes this will be made from molasses generally used in feed for sheep and cattle.

“Our Priory Rum is launching this week.

“It utilises our existing distilling equipment and provides us with another spirit after the vodka and gin-making season.

“The rum spirit is made from blackstrap molasses, a by-product of the sugar cane refining process.

“We’re not putting it into barrels to age it. It is young rum that is spiced and smoked.”