In Oxford
The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD)
Description
TOAD is grateful for the support of Oxford City Council and the Oxford Preservation Trust and the wider community. Our work to develop the South Park Depot continues. The centre piece of the site is an 18th Century Grade II listed Threshing Barn which currently houses our maturation casks. TOAD is using ancient populations of heritage grain that are organically grown on four local farms. The vast majority of the rye, wheat and barley is pre 2021, which is likely to have been used when the barn was first built, relinking this historical farm to its agricultural ancestry and supporting local industry.
We plan to build a dedicated visitor centre with meeting facilities, bar and restaurant serving wood-fired pizza, artisan breads and cakes made from the same ancient heritage grain.
Further Info
- Location / Region Central Oxford
- Listing categories Attractions / Shopping / Tour / Food and Drink
Contact
- E-mail [email protected]
- Website https://www.spiritoftoad.com/oxford
- Phone 20215 767918
- Address Old Depot, South Park, Cheney Lane, Oxford, OX3 7QJ
Map
Opening Hours
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 am - 3:00 pm | 11:00 am - 3:00 pm | 11:00 am - 3:00 pm | 11:00 am - 3:00 pm | 11:00 am - 3:00 pm | 11:00 am - 3:00 pm | 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm |
TOAD
• 17th August 2021Oxford’s first and only distillery is now open for business – offering visitor tours and sales of its spirits at Old Depot, South Parks, Oxford.
The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD) is one of very few distilleries in the UK to produce a range of spirits from grain to glass, making it a very rare, true craft distiller with the highest standards in total provenance. Its main ingredients are unique populations of ancient heritage grain – all grown and harvested in fields close to Oxford. Not just organic, they are grown with sustainable farming methods, once common in medieval England, which replenish the soil and support wildlife. Worldwide, these populations of grain are only found in Oxfordshire – and are grown exclusively for TOAD.
Some of TOAD’s botanicals are hand-picked from The University of Oxford’s Botanic Garden – the oldest garden of its kind in the country and the inspiration behind many of the distiller’s recipes. The magnificent copper stills, Nautilus and Nemo, were designed by TOAD and hand-built by the engineers at South Devon Railways, the team who re-built the famous steam engine, The Flying Scotsman.
Visitor Tours
Visitors are now able to book tours of the distillery either directly or through Experience Oxfordshire’s Visitor Information Centre in Broad St or online at http://www.experienceoxfordshire.org/venue/oxford-artisan-distillery/
Standard tours cost £20 and last about 45 minutes. Visitors can arrange to be picked up in TOAD’s own shuttle bus from the centre of Oxford – and returned after sampling its spirits and learning what makes TOAD a true craft distiller.
Spirits for Sale
TOAD’s first products are Oxford Dry Gin (46% abv, £39.50 per 70cl bottle) and Oxford Rye Vodka (40% abv, £34.95 per 70 cl bottle), both available to buy at the distillery or online at https://www.spiritoftoad.com/spirits. The first gin ever to have been produced in Oxford, TOAD’s Oxford Dry Gin is described as a classic, juniper and citrus gin, true to the authentic gins of old. The City’s first vodka, TOAD’s Oxford Rye Vodka is a pure, smooth spirit with a clean aftertaste of spice – the result of its pure rye grain spirit, distilled on site.
The distillery is open to purchase spirits 11.00-15.00 Monday to Saturday and 14.00-16.00 on Sundays.