User:Tomjefferies/Oxley gin

OXLEY

OXLEY gin is the first potable spirit created in subzero conditions via a distillation process called Cold Distillation.

When Cold Distillation on is used to create gin the botanical ingredients are not exposed to additional heat. As a result their flavours are unaffected by the distillation process and are passed on to the spirit chemically unchanged and as close to their natural form as possible.

The Cold Distillation process occurs bewteen -1ºC and -19ºC. The resulting vapour is condensed at a temperature of -100ºC to -110ºC. As a result, the flavours and aromas in the 14 botanicals (Recipe No. 38) used to create OXLEY are n ot altered as they can be by the heat used for more traditional distillation methods. The sub-zero temperatures ensure that the natural flavours are unaffected by distillation and are preserved in the final spirit.

Cold Distillation uses a vacuum to reduce the pressure within the OXLEY still and as a result lowers the temperature to approximately -5ºC, causing the macerated spirit in the still to ‘boil’ and turn to vapour. At this point the fresh, natural flavours of the botanicals are captured and preserved in the spirit.

Recipe No.38
Recipe No.38 is the recipe name for the botanical combination that is used to create OXLEY. OXLEY is the first ever spirit to be created without the application of heat using an innovative process called Cold Distillation. As Cold Distillation preserves the natural intensity of the botanicals from maceration through to the final spirit, the search for the perfect combination of botanicals that would benefit from the lowered temperature was required. What followed was a thorough reappraisal of exactly which ingredients, in what state they were required and in what proportions. It took 38 different combinations of high quality botanicals before a recipe was found that would benefit from the sub-zero temperatures achieved during Cold Distillation.

During this process it was found that the citrus peels from lemon, orange and grapefruit, which are normally heat-dried before being used to make other gins, could be used fresh. Cold Distillation plays a major role in retaining their intensity and brightness. It was also found that the overly strong pine notes that juniper berries acquire when exposed to prolonged heat do not appear in OXLEY, which instead manages to retain the subtler aspects of the berry itself. And meadowsweet, from England, was found to lend itself particularly well to Cold Distillation providing a rounded almond flavour that helps harmonise and balance the other 13 botanicals.

Not all of the 14 botanicals that make up Recipe No. 38 are used fresh. Some, such as vanilla, actually benefit from drying.

Recipe No.38 therefore refers to the combination and balance of all 14 botanicals required to create the taste of OXLEY.