Abingdon Distillery Single Malt English Whisky, Inaugural Release, 70cl

• Abingdon's first whisky: the distillery's inaugural single malt, distilled and matured on site in the town centre of Abingdon-on-Thames.
• A First Growth cask: one of the two cask types is a former red wine barrel from Château Margaux, a First Growth Bordeaux estate, which gives the whisky its dark fruit and depth.
• Floor-malted English barley: made from 100% English malted barley, traditionally floor-malted for fuller flavour extraction.
• A hybrid pot still: distilled on a custom-built 650-litre hybrid still, combining a pot with a column section for a cleaner, structured spirit.
• Slow fermentation: an eight-day fermentation in open-top wooden washbacks using two yeast strains, building fruity, spiced character before the spirit ever reaches a cask.
• A limited first edition: released as a limited edition of 350 bottles.

Q: Where is Abingdon Distillery?

A: Abingdon Distillery is in the centre of Abingdon-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, at Coxeter House on Ock Street. Gin, rum and whisky are all distilled on site, and the distillery has a bar and shop as well as a production area.

Q: Is this Abingdon Distillery's first whisky?

A: Yes. This is Abingdon's inaugural single malt whisky, the first release from a whisky programme that head distiller Jordan Morris and his team have been maturing on site.

Q: What casks is it matured in?

A: It is a marriage of two cask types: ex-bourbon barrels and a former red wine barrel from Château Margaux, a First Growth Bordeaux estate. The ex-bourbon casks bring vanilla and backbone; the red wine cask brings dark fruit and depth.

Q: How old is the whisky?

A: It has been matured on site for just over three years. Three years is the minimum maturation required before a spirit can legally be called English whisky.

Q: Is it a single malt?

A: Yes. It is made from 100% malted barley at a single distillery, which is what defines a single malt. The barley is English and traditionally floor-malted.

Q: How should I serve it?

A: Neat, at room temperature in a tasting glass, is the best way to appreciate the cask character, and a few drops of water can open up the fruit if you prefer. The distillery's own signature serve is neat or in an Old Fashioned.