After the successful performance of the earlier whisky series, the Oxford Artisan Distillery has released their fourth batch of rye whiskey- The Graduate. This Oxford Rye Whiskey Batch #004 is styled bigger and bolder, to give your palate the signature complex flavors.
The Distillation practice with “Traditional Sustainability Concept”
The Graduate whiskey with its bolder and complex flavors is made with a blend of traditional and sustainability concepts. The first step is grain cultivation. The distillery believed in giving back to the soil and established mono cultivation practices with no use of chemical pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides.
The grains belong to the ‘heritage maslin populations’ which is a mixture of heritage rye and wheat grown together in sandy soils 7 miles away from the distillery on prestigious estates such as Highgrove and Sandringham. This batch was harvested in August 2017. The organic practice also included growing clover crops and a few varieties of oats; to create a diverse eco-system for micro-organisms in the soil, insects, and birds. This practice also included no crop rotation.
Fermentation is done in Hungarian oak vats which impart fruity, creamy, and toasty sourdough crust flavors to the whiskey. These flavors come from flaking the grain in a centenary mill, rather than true milling. The spirit is then double distilled in both our stills, Nautilus and Nemo.
“The grains bring herbal, floral, spicy and nutty notes, and the sandy soils they were grown in add a salty influence to the grain character. The fermentation in Hungarian oak vats brings fruit and boosts the lovely creamy notes. Our bespoke stills give espresso and toasted sourdough smokiness, and finally, it is the interaction with the casks, marrying all these flavor notes together, also adding sweetness, vanilla, and toffee.”
Explaining how the distillery’s intricate production techniques create the whisky’s flavor profile, Francisco said.
The whiskey is matured in a variety of American Oak casks from multiple cooperages with different origins, toasts, sizes (both 130L and 225L), and maturation in different micro-climates. The complex flavors of this whiskey come from a blend of 6 casks in total – cask numbers 25, 27, 28, 31, 33, and 36.
“With its Oxford origins, this whisky perfectly captures the exuberant energy of our distillery, as well as the value and significance of what we are achieving at The Oxford Artisan Distillery. This is Oxford Rye Whisky post-education,”
– Francisco Rosa, Master Distillersaid in a prepared statement.
A statement from Oxford Artisan says that the distillery’s grain contributes to soil health in the English countryside, and is grown specifically for the distillery, making Oxford Artisan the only distillery in the world with a license to use these heritage grains, farmed exclusively for flavor and not yield.
Tasting Notes
The official tasting notes of Oxford Rye Whiskey #004 includes:
- AROMA: Refreshing spices to aniseed and pepper, a hint of flowers and mint, blackened banana and Bramley apple with candied ginger cake, yum yums, and toasted almonds. The pleasant smell of old leather brings the notes of time and aging.
- PALATE: Hints of blackcurrant, salt, banana, creamy custard, dark chocolate, chili, black pepper, and licorice.
- FINISH: Creamy, silky, peppery, and minty, hints of espresso, and a lingering toasted sourdough smokiness.
- OVERALL: Refreshing spices and herbs play with sweet ginger cakes and old books. Berries and ripe banana mingle with creamy custard, salty roasted nuts, and toffee.
- BOTTLED AT: 51.3% (Highest Proof), 70 cl
Oxford Rye Whisky Batch #4 is available for purchase at RRP of £95 in the United Kingdom and the official website. Only 1428 bottling will be available for purchase.
Enjoy the bigger, bolder, and complex whiskey with the stylish Oxford Rye Whiskey #004- The Graduate. The Graduate whisky can be enjoyed neat, with a dash of water or in cocktails like– an Old-fashioned, Sazerac or Manhattan.