Review: Oxley Gin (2023)
We took our first look at Oxley Gin back in 2011 when it was subtitled Classic English Dry Gin. More than a decade later, the overall packaging has been tweaked quite a bit with the most obvious label change being a new focus on Cold Distilled, this gin’s unique method of production, instead of the humdrum “Classic English Dry” (converted to the more familiar London Dry on the current label).
While cold distillation is more common today than it was when this gin first came to market, it remains something of a rarity in gin production. Oxley claims to have invented its own specific cold distillation process, which gets as low as -5 degrees Celsius, and they reportedly took 8 years and 38 recipes to get things just right. Why go through all that trouble? Well, according to them the process creates a more flavorful gin because it enables the use of fresh, as opposed to dry, ingredients, specifically citrus peel. Let’s reacquaint ourselves with this one, shall we?
Oxley remains, as ever, a complex spirit that gin-lovers of all stripes should appreciate. There’s certainly a freshness to the aroma highlighted by an unusually soft, almost minty juniper. No sharp or resinous notes of pine here. This is more a walk among fragrant firs that becomes, in time, a trip to the fresh fruit section of a southern Florida farmer’s market with lemon oil and grapefruit peel. The palate is light and well-balanced with a mild, vanilla bean sweetness. Notes of plump juniper berry give way to a bit of warming cinnamon stick and juicy orange slice before fading into a clean, minty finish accented by anise and fading citrus peel. An approachable and appealing gin that remains altogether worthy of our praise all those years ago. And better still, it’s $10 cheaper now for some reason.
94 proof.
