The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD) is set to reopen and will place “sustainable distilling standards and efficiency” at its core.
Oxford Spirit Group, the distillery’s owner, has announced its board of directors that will spearhead the return of the distillery, which has secured the lease on the historic Cheney Farm site in Headington, Oxford, to safeguard its long-term home.
This comes after it obtained planning permission to return the city’s first-ever registered organic whisky distillery to its original site.
The amphibious resurrection of the British artisan distillery is led by its original founder, Tom Nicolson, the visionary behind award winning TOAD’s 2017 launch.
Oxford Spirit Group is restoring TOAD’s heritage after reclaiming its trademarks and intellectual property. It has also reacquired the iconic custom-built stills Nautilus and Nemo, handcrafted by the engineering team behind the Flying Scotsman restoration, to bring them home.
Oxford Spirit Group, owners of TOAD have confirmed its board of directors, which include Don Woodward, Gareth Roberts, Gordon Nelson and Mark Beer OBE.
The return of TOAD is built on sustainable distilling standards and efficiency as core business principles. It will build on its legacy as the UK’s first registered organic distillery with a renewed vision and purpose, via a commitment to organic farming, soil health and biodiversity.
The distillery is placing an enhanced commitment on protecting and restoring Britain’s waterways, inspired by whisky’s roots in uisge beatha – ‘water of life’.
Grains will be sourced sustainably from Oxfordshire, using farming methods that actively enrich soil health and biodiversity. The distillery will employ highly efficient production solutions to underpin its sustainable approach to craft distilling.
Tom Nicholson, said: “Bringing TOAD back to Oxford is an amphibious resurrection in full spring. This is a true home-coming, returning TOAD to the community and the land where it belongs.
“We’re returning with a clear purpose to support soil health and our waterways and to provide a much-loved and missed pioneering brand with a long-term home. We’ve built a high-calibre board and can’t wait to distil exceptional spirits for people to savour once again.”
