Oxford Artisan Introduces Inaugural Rye
Organic grain-to-glass whiskymaker Oxford Artisan Distillery has released their initial offering – the imaginatively-named Oxford Rye Whisky Batch #1.
Oxford Rye Whisky Batch #1 was made using a grain ratio of 90% maslin (a mix of 70% rye and 20% wheat from populations grown together in the same field) and 10% heritage malted barley, matured in virgin American oak casks for more than three years, bottled at 46.3% alcohol by volume [92.6 proof] and is said to contain notes of banana bread, sourdough and spice.
One of the elements of the process that differs from other distilleries’ productions is that, instead of merely being milled, the grain is flattened in a traditional mill from the 1920s, creating coarse flakes that are then made into an ‘watery porridge’ and stirred by oar – as is the Oxford tradition.
Only 502 bottles of Oxford Artisan Rye Whisky Batch #1 are being made available for $130 per bottle.
The just-as-imaginatively-named Oxford Rye Whisky Batch #2 is currently available to pre-order with an expected delivery planned for early July 2021. Batch #2 used the same grain mix as Batch #1, however, was finished in a wine cask and fermentation took place in warmer weather and this has created ‘more tropical fruit characters’, according to the distillery.
