It hasn’t even been 2 months since I posted about my visit at Abingdon Distillery where I announced that they will release a white rum for their core range and now it’s here. Time really flies I guess! I remember trying a sample during my visit and I know I enjoyed it, so let’s see how the final product will behave in my glass now.
Jordan Morris, the owner and distiller of Abingdon Distillery, has been working on the recipe for his white rum for around 9 months before he settled on it. He tried a few permutations using various yeasts in combinations of molasses and Demerara sugar washes until he was finally happy with it.
Wild Oxen Pure White Rum is made using Demerara sugar that is fermented for 7 days using a combination of rum distilling yeast and wild yeast. The resulting wash, which clocks in at 11% ABV, is then distilled on their hybrid still, Big Phil. Due to the stills configuration and its 6 plate column the distilled hearts come off in only one run.
Now I’m aware that using crystalised sugar is in no way the traditional way of making rum, and while Demerara still contains traces of molasses due to it not being processed as thoroughly as white sugar, it can be still frowned upon – and understandably so. Personally I don’t mind it much, although I still prefer the more classic raw materials such as molasses, cane juice or cane syrup. Still, given the increasing number of UK rum distilleries, I would like to see some sort of GI or overall standard for British rums in the near future in order to put more people at ease.
Wild Oxen Pure White Rum is Guyanese cane sugar based, fermented for 7 days and batch distilled. Bottled at 41.5% ABV without any additives.
On the nose it smells citrusy and moreish. Lemon sponge cake, fermenting sugar syrup, biscuits and limoncello. Liquorice, ripe banana and some grapefruit peel. It’s not too light, but not too intense either. Some sea water and fresh ink too. Hints of pistachios, dried figs and mandarins.
On the palate it seems more vegetal. Basil, cane juice and some cardamom. Layers of liquorice with some black tea and dry white wine. Once again, it feels quite light, but with some interesting flavours. Pistachios, toasted biscuits and whipped cream. The finish is short with vanilla and nutty flavours.
A nice, enjoyable white rum that can be used in a variety of drinks. My only complaint would be that’s a little bit too thin, would’ve loved to see a bit more intensity and mouthfeel accompanying the flavours.
It can be bought from the Abingdon Distillery website for £39 which I do find it objectively a little expensive if I were to compare it to other unaged rums. That being said, it’s still relevant if you want to support your local distillery in Oxfordshire.
Wild Oxen Pure White Rum:
Flavour/taste: 44/70
Value for money: 13/15
Transparency/purity: 15/15
Overall: 71/100
Cheers!