Oxfordshire Gins & Distilleries
On This Page: Oxfordshire Gin and Distillery directory, reviews and tasting notes, distillery tours in Oxfordshire and interviews with Oxfordshire distillers.
As well as being home of one of the world's most famous universities and beautiful countryside between the Cotswolds and Chiltern Hills, Oxfordshire is also home to 6 distilleries that are also making names of themselves. There are just a handful of 'grain-to-glass' distilleries in England that make their own base spirit as well as distilling gin, and 2 of these are in Oxfordshire - The Oxford Artisan Distillery in Oxford and Wood Brothers Distillery near Carterton - while Chalgrove Artisan Distillery and The Henley Distillery are home to the county's 2 Gin Schools.
The gins featured in this guide are gins which, to the best of our knowledge, are produced in Oxfordshire. There may be additional products named after places in Oxfordshire or that are based in Oxfordshire, however, they will not be featured in this guide if our understanding is that they are produced outside of Oxfordshire.
Oxfordshire Gins & Reviews - A to Z
Abingdon Gin
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Abingdon Distillery was launched in 2018 before being rebranded in 2021 when distiller Jordan Morris took over the running of the business. In 2022 the distillery was moved to a new location in central Abingdon, offering distillery tours and expanding into the production of more spirits, such as rum. Their range includes their London Dry Gin, Grapefruit & Lime Gin, Sloe Gin and Single Malt Barrel-Aged Gin.
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Henley Gin
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Owned and run by Henley-born Jacob Wilson and his family, The Henley Distillery was opened in 2021. Located in a Grade II listed 18th Century barn on the outskirts of Henley, the distillery is home to four 300 litre copper alembic stills and their Gin School. Their range includes their Classic Dry Gin and Oriental Spiced Gin, both of which were Winners in The Gin Guide Awards 2023, and their Rhubarb & Orange Gin.
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OX Gin
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Chalgrove Artisan Distillery, home of OX Gins, is a family run distillery and Gin School established by Bob and Jenny Clark who originally began distilling from their home in Chalgrove in 2017. In 2018 they launched their flagship gin, OX44 Gin, named after their postcode, and each of their subsequent gins has been named after Oxfordshire postcodes.
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Oxford Rye Organic Gin
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Launched in 2017 and located between Headington and central Oxford, The Oxford Artisan Distillery produces gin, absinthe, vodka and whisky. Rather than buying in neutral spirit, the team produces its own organic base spirit with heritage grain from the hundreds of acres of farmland they manage. They distill with two copper stills, one 500L and one 2,400L, both produced by a steam engine manufacturer.
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Sky Wave Gin
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Sky Wave Gin was established in Oxfordshire in 2018 by Andrew Parsons and Rachel Hicks. Their gins are distilled in 200L and 50L pot stills and feature water sourced from the Blenheim Palace aquifer. In 2021, Sky Wave Gin moved to a new distillery at Bicester Heritage, and in The Gin Guide Awards 2023 their Signature Gin, Navy Strength Gin and Old Tom Gin were all Winners in their respective categories.
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For more Oxfordshire Gins, try Wood Brothers Gin.
Distilleries & Tours in Oxfordshire
Four of Oxfordshire's distilleries are open to visitors for tours and tastings or Gin Schools which make for the ideal experience for gin lovers living in or visiting Oxfordshire. (Click on linked distilleries below to find out more and to book at tour or distillery experience):
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Meet the Makers
Get to know some of Oxfordshire's finest gin creators and distillers in our 'Meet the Maker' interviews. Find out what inspired them and how they created and launched their gin, how it's made, what botanicals are used, what you can experience if you visit their distilleries, how best to serve their gins and what they have planned for the future:
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See Behind The Scenes
The Gin Guide's Editor, Paul Jackson, visited Abingdon Distillery, Sky Wave Distillery in Bicester, The Henley Distillery, and Chalgrove Artisan Distillery to meet the founders, see their distillation in action and find out all about their gins. Click below to read more and see behind the scenes!
