THE OXFORD ARTISAN DISTILLERY LAUNCHES RED RED RYE

Oxford, 30^th November 2021 – The Oxford Artisan Distillery has unveiled its fifth batch of Oxford Rye Whisky, Red Red Rye, in time for the festive season.

This latest offering from the distillery, is a triple-matured rye whisky with a rich, wine influence. The reddest of ryes, it is the result of a love affair between heritage grains, virgin American oak casks, and three legendary sweet wine casks; a Pedro Ximenez butt and two Vintage Port barriques. A celebration of grains and grapes, this bottling is an exploration of the Oxford Rye Whisky’s house character, with a decadent fortified wine profile, perfect for the time of year.

As with all the products they produce, responsible farming is the first stage in the distillery’s whisky making process; taking time, regenerating the land and supporting biodiversity with every bottle. The grain used for this batch was made up of multiple ancient heritage rye strains, wheat strains and even a few oats and a few thistles grown together in healthy, diverse fields.

Working with Head of Grain & Sustainable Development, John Letts, all of the grains are grown regeneratively and sustainably, using absolutely no pesticides or chemical fertilisers – contributing to an abundance of wildflowers, insects and birds across the distillery’s farms.

Red Red Rye’s initial maturation was for one year in casks #12 and #13, both virgin American oak which gave the new make its classic house profile. For the second maturation, both casks were blended into cask #72, a Pedro Ximenez butt, for two years to give it the depth of aged sweet wine. For the final maturation cask #72 was split into two Vintage Port barriques, casks #268 & #269, for a year to brighten the liquid. The result is a highly luxurious whisky, full of the deep raisin character of sweet oxidised wine with tannic fruitiness, sweetness and body.

Master Distiller Francisco Rosa comments: “Some may say a Pedro Ximenez cask followed by a second maturation in Vintage Port is extravagant, or perhaps even excessive, but we argue it’s the perfect level of festive indulgence.”

Adding: “Using extremely good quality old wine and new wine casks we have preserved the balance and structure between our house character and the wine influence. It’s a rye whisky with a viticultural personality; think violets and berry jam alongside toffee apples in a pine forest. I’d recommend sipping it by the fire, or after dinner paired with cheese – it also makes an excellent Manhattan.”

Oxford Rye Whisky Batch #5, 46.4% ABV, consists of only 610 bottles, priced at £150 and is available to purchase from 25^th November directly from the distillery’s website or from specialist retailers including: Master of Malt, Hedonism, The Whisky Exchange and The Whisky Shop.

www.theoxfordartisandistillery.com

NOTES 

The Oxford Artisan Distillery:

The distillery opened for business at its purpose-built site in Oxford on 27th July 2017.

It is Oxford’s first ever distillery and produces a range of spirits, including gin, absinthe, vodka and whisky, all with total provenance from grain to glass. The Oxford Artisan Distillery is rare amongst UK distilleries in producing its own organic spirit, rather than purchasing Grain Neutral Spirit (GNS) from other sources.

The distillery has a licence to produce spirits for the University of Oxford and has a notable partnership with the University of Oxford’s Botanic Garden.

About Organic Heritage Grain:

Certified Organic in April 2020, The Oxford Artisan Distillery is the only distiller to use genetically diverse populations of ancient heritage organic grains – revived from historical sources by a leading archaeo-botanist and grown sustainably on over 350 acres, known as land races, both close to Oxford and on prestigious estates such as Highgrove and Sandringham. The distillery’s grain contributes to biodiversity and soil health in the English countryside. The grains are the result of John Lett’s lifelong research on ancient grains: John has spent a large part of his life sourcing and growing ancient grains together, as polycultures. John takes 30-100 varieties of grain, mixes them up, and grows them together in the same field, at the same time. These sustainable fields are similar to what you would have seen in medieval times – the grains are grown specifically for the distillery, making The Oxford Artisan Distillery the only distillery in the world with a license to use John’s grains, grown exclusively for flavour and not yield.