Overview: Abingdon Distillery operates three copper pot stills within Coxeter House on Ock Street in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The facility produces gin, rum under the Wild Oxen name, and an inaugural single malt whisky release. Production moved from a garage to the town centre in 2022 under founder Jordan Morris.
The Full Story
Three copper pot stills sit at the heart of the small-batch production floor on Ock Street. Batches of no more than 130 bottles are the ceiling rather than the norm, and the team makes a point of controlling production end to end. The gin range is where it all began, led by the flagship Abingdon London Dry and joined by a Grapefruit and Lime edition, sloe gin and barrel-aged expressions.
The rum side of the business trades under the Wild Oxen name and covers white, spiced, chocolate and cask-aged bottlings. Alongside them sits the distillery’s inaugural single malt whisky release, the culmination of several years of quieter work with fermentation, cask selection and maturation. Awards have followed at a steady clip, with gold and silver medals picked up at The Gin Masters, the International Wine and Spirit Competition, the London Spirits Competition and the World Liqueur Awards.
Sustainability sits alongside all of that. Bottles are recyclable, packaging is plastic-free, delivery materials are recyclable or compostable, and the business runs on a green-energy supplier while contributing to tree planting and peatland restoration through Ecologi. Visitor feedback has been warm, with the distillery listed as a Travellers’ Choice attraction on Tripadvisor with a five-star average across close to 90 reviews.
Production & Profile
The production floor utilizes three copper pot stills with a maximum batch size of 130 bottles. Gin expressions are crafted using the one-shot method, where only purified water is added after distillation and no concentrates, artificial colours or artificial flavourings are involved.
Brand & Industry History
Abingdon Distillery started life in a garage before founder Jordan Morris moved production into the centre of the town in 2022. It has grown into one of the more ambitious small producers in Oxfordshire.
What This Means
For a market town better known for its abbey ruins and its riverside, having a working distillery on the high street quietly turning out award-winning gin, rum and single malt is a small but welcome addition to the local landscape.
Consumer Takeaway
Visitors can book tours in advance via the Abingdon Distillery website. Saturday afternoon gin and rum tours run at 2.30pm, whisky tours run on selected Fridays at 12.30pm and Saturdays at 2.30pm, and Rum Academy takes place on Saturday nights at 7pm.
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