The Oxford Artisan Distillery has added a new violet gin to its collection this month – Ver Viola.
TOAD has been concocting a gin for some time now that would represent spring, and has finally come up with the Ver Viola formula.
Distilled from heritage grain and 17 botanicals, its vivid hue comes from hand-filterering it through beds of organic butterfly pea flowers and rose petals.
Co-Founder and Master Distiller, Cory Mason says: “Butterfly pea flower is a natural PH indicator so when tonic or citrus is added Ver Viola changes colour from deep violet to pink.”
However, TOAD promises that Ver Viola is a gin that surpasses the gimmickry of its colour changing abilities.
So why violet gin? Cory Mason continues: “I set out to create a gin that truly represents the flowers of spring, but still held true to our distillery’s core values. The result is a gin the retains the characteristics of a London Dry, but has a depth of floral complexity, and a colour that lends it perfectly to be used in cocktails.”
The Oxford Artisan Distillery opened for business at its purpose-built site in Oxford on July 27 2017.
It’s Oxford’s first ever distillery and produces a range of spirits, including gin, absinthe, vodka and whiskey, all with total provenance from grain to glass.
The Oxford Artisan Distillery is rare amongst UK distilleries in producing its own spirit, rather than purchasing Grain Neutral Spirit (GNS) from other sources.
It is also the only distiller to use genetically diverse populations of ancient heritage grains – revived from historical sources by a leading archaeo-botanist and grown sustainably in 150 acres, known as land races, close to Oxford.
The distillery’s hand-crafted copper stills were designed and engineered in collaboration with South Devon Railways – the team behind the refurbishment of the famous Flying Scotsman.
They include a 2,200-litre still named Nautilus, and its 500-litre partner, Nemo. Together with two five metres tall, 40-plate copper distillation columns, the stills produce around 1250 bottles of Gin or roughly 750 bottles of rye whiskey from every tonne of grain.
Local community is also integral to The Oxford Artisan Distillery which stages numerous onsite events and parties at its South Park location including its Annual Anniversary party for over 500 guests, The Big Oxford Beer Bash, collaborative pop up dinner parties with Native Feasts, plus a successful monthly farmer’s market showcasing and supporting local businesses such as Neve’s Bees, Amy Surman, Cranston Pickles and Little Gem Letterpress.
But until such celebrations can resume, you can try Ver Viola with tonic or make a delicious summer cocktail with it. Now’s the time!
To order or find out more go to https://www.spiritoftoad.com
