Oxford Artisan founder submits plans to revive distillery
The Oxford Spirit Group has submitted a planning application to bring distilling back to the English city by next summer.
Tom Nicolson, who founded The Oxford Artisan Distillery (Toad) in 2017, is behind the new project. He formed a new business, The Oxford Spirit Group, to bring spirits production back to Cheney Lane, which was home to his former distillery.
Oxford native Nicolson left Toad (which was trading under the name Still on the Hill) in 2022 after the distillery secured a minority investment from Diageo’s now-defunct drinks accelerator Distill Ventures in November that year.
However, Toad ceased trading in May 2024 and announced it would close the site in Oxford. At the same time, Still on the Hill started a new English rye whisky brand, called Fielden, which currently sources its liquid from Adnams distillery in Suffolk (previously this included liquid from the Oxford site). The company at the time intended to move production to Yorkshire but these plans have since been abandoned, Fielden confirmed.
In December 2024, The Oxford Spirit Group submitted a bid for the lease of Toad’s former site to the Oxford City Council, which was subsequently granted.
On 20 August this year, the company submitted a planning application to the council to retain the existing building, known as the New Barn stillhouse, at the former Oxford Artisan Distillery site.
The plan proposes to retain the building for use as a distillery with the aim of opening to visitors in summer 2026.
The planning application said the stillhouse building is at “the heart of a multi-million-pound investment in the site”.
The Oxford Spirit Group is currently preparing phase two of the project, which will be subject to a further planning application.
Phase two will include tasting and dining rooms, toilets and a kiosk to serve both the distillery and the neighbouring South Park, and technical spaces for the distillery.
As part of the phase two masterplan, which is expected to be submitted to the council in the last quarter of 2025, the company also aims to offer accommodations for visitors.
The Oxford Spirit Group said in a statement: “We are delighted with the progress of the distillery project. Our team and all stakeholders are working diligently, and we are optimistic about a successful outcome for the planning application.”
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