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The Oxford
Distillery launches its fifth batch of
Oxford Rye - Red Red Rye.
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 specialist online whisky
retailers such as
The Whisky Exchange,
Amazon
and
Master of Malt
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