Oxford Artisan Distillery is utilizing local, heirloom grains for their whisky. The mashbill of this Easy Ryder is 90% Maslin which is rye and wheat grown together although the majority of that blend is rye. Malted barley rounds out the rest of the grain for a rye heavy whisky. This batch was aged mostly in new American oak casks with one Moscatel cask thrown in for good measure. I'm often a fan of high rye mashbills and this bottle brings a lot of those interesting and complex notes from a unique grain source. I enjoyed the youthful quality of this whisky but look forward to tasting more from Oxford as the stock ages.
Nose: Caramel apple (granny smith apple, sticky caramel sauce, dusting of peanuts and pithy walnuts, and the stick is included), vanilla custard in a sugar cone, orange oil on the top of a cocktail, wet tobacco, and fresh oak shavings.
Palate: Rye bread, cardamom, molasses candy, clove studded oranges in mulled wine, biscotti with extra ginger powder, clove cigarettes, Dr. Pepper chap stick, and a spicy finish that builds with wood and cinnamon heat.
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