Stirling's Twisted Apple

From Gagetown, New Brunswick comes this cider from Apple Man Farms. Pale yellow colour with a fresh apple bouquet. It has an immediate off-dry fresh apple taste with a lightly dry aftertaste. 7% ABV. 8.5/10

Apple Man Farms are an interesting operation. They grow 31 varieties of apple and 6 varieties of pear, and they make 44 different ciders!

Loch Mór Tropical Vibes

From Loch Mór Cider Co., comes a distinctively different cider that is hopped: the addition of hops produces "floral and tropical aromas. A clear pale yellow colour and a pronounced lychee bouquet. The initial dry lychee taste (compared to actual lychee nuts) lingers quite nicely and continues as an aftertaste.4.6% ABV. 8.5/10

Coat-Albret Brut

Coat-Albret is a cider maker from Bretagne. This sparkling dry cider is full of flavour with intense apple flavour with a slightly sweeter finish with apple-skin. Purchased at Everly Wine & Provisions, available only in a 750ml bottle. Beside this brut, they also make a fruité and a demi-sec variety, and also apple juice. 5.5% ABV. 8.5/10

 

Top Rated Ciders

After trying my 175th cider I thought it would be a good time to do a list of the ciders I've rated 9 or higher. So far 9.5 is the highest.

Stonewell Dry (9.5)
Wignac (9.5)
West Avenue Little Mac (9.5)
Bridge Farm Sparkling Pear Cider (9.5)
Stonewell Medium Dry
Loch Mór Harrison Danforth Road series
Fils de Pomme
Dunkertons Organic Perry
Christian Drouin Cidre Bouché Brut de Normandie
Loch Mór Sour Cherry
A Tortured Path
Goldkehlchen Sauerkirsche
Ruwet
Vieni Sparkling Cider
Rock Creek Dry
Spy Golden Eye
Savanna Dry

Loch Mór Harrison Danforth Road series

Another from Loch Mór Cider Co of Wellington, Prince Edward County, Ontario. This one is a single varietal cider made only from the rare Harrison apples first developed in New York state. Pale amber colour and a deep apple and apple skin bouquet. Of dru, the taste is a smooth full apple flavour that balances well with the light tannins that linger in the finish. 9.6% ABV. 9/10.

 

Loch Mór Harry Masters Jersey (175)

For my 175th cider comes another from Loch Mór Cider Co of Wellington, Prince Edward County, Ontario. This one is a single varietal cider made only from Harry Masters Jersey apples. Pale amber colour and a deep apple and apple skin bouquet. Initially just off-dry with an intense apple skin flavour and finishes drier. Available only in 750ml bottles. 7.3% ABV. 8.5/10

The description of this cider from the bottle's label:

"A single varietal, naturally fermented cider using Harry Masters Jersey apples from our estate orchard. Yellow plums & fresh apricots and a hint of caramel on the aroma, full bodied that finishes with the slatey, mineral note the variety is known for. Light carbonation. Serve at 10-12C.
A variety from Somerset, UK from the late 1800s. The name comes from the man thought to have discovered the variety. Mr. Masters worked as the miller at Yarlington Mill, Somerset. The 'jersey' refers to the shape of the apple."

Loch Mór Untamed

Another from Loch Mór that they note is made using heritage apples in an attempt to make a British style cider — and it shows. It is a light amber cider with a fresh apple bouquet. The taste is off-dry, light and very fresh apple skin with light tannins. This tastes better than many British ciders I have tried. 8.5/10

Thornbury Craft Vanilla Bourbon

Another cider using the barrel aging like Hard Way. This one from Thornbury is pale yellow, white wine colour, and has a light vanilla bouquet with only a hint of cider. Initial vanilla oak taste the finishes predominantly vanilla. Probably good for its type though I don't like the vanilla flavour. Seems to be available only in a 660ml bottle. 7/10

Bandida do Pomar

This Portugese cider is made by Sociedade Central de Cervejas e Bebidas S.A., part of the Heineken group. As they describe it: "With a fruity, light and refreshing taste, Bandida do Pomar cider has an intense apple flavor. It is aimed at consumers between 18 and 34 and all alcohol consumers who want new alternatives."

It has a light amber like light apple juice colour, and a light apple juice bouquet. Taste is sweet with an artificial apple flavour and no dryness in the finish, just a lingering sweetness. 4.5% ABV. 5/10 

Cider Tour 2024

I tried 41 ciders while on holiday in 2024. Most were British, Irish and French. I tried many at the Armagh Food & Cider Festival in Armagh, Northern Ireland. The Long Meadow ciders were okay but not great. I tried 6 at The Cider House in the Borough Market in London.

Cider & Wine dinner at Long Meadow Farm

I had a couple of excellent Austrian sparkling ciders in Vienna.

I tried 5 in France that I purchased at the gourmet grocery store, La Grande Épicerie, Rue de Sèvres, Paris.

I was able to try ciders in a few places that I did not expect; 4 in Tbilisi, Georgia (which were not drinkable), and one in Kenya which was just okay.

Appie - Le Poiré

From Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, this pale yellow cider has a light fresh apple and dry pear bouquet. Taste is intially quite dry for a perry and quite a subtle pear taste, and it finishes still quite dry. Nice and refreshing. 8/10

 

Zathinoe Cidre Bouché

From Castillon en Auge comes this cider with a slightly cloudy amber colour and a very mature apple bouquet. Initial taste is of old even musty apples, rather than just mature which persists and finishes off dry. A strong cider and the extra old apple taste is not appealing. 5.5/10

Alain Milliat Organic

From Normandy comes this cider that is yellow-amber in colour with a light mature apple bouquet. Mature apple initially follows with an off-dry finish with a hint of old cheese with a lot of body. 6.5/10

Fils de Pomme

A French cider from Nanterre. Slightly cloudy light amber colour. A nice fresh apple bouquet and a pronounced fresh apple flavour which is noticeably off-dry on the finish. 9/10

Topa Brut Apple-Pear

A Spanish and French cider: apples from Normandy and pears from the Basque region of Spain. It has a slightly cloudy pale yellow colour and light apple bouquet. Taste is a tart light apple that lingers finishing with a light dryness. There is some sediment in the bottle. 7/10

 

Dunkertons Organic Perry

From Dunkertons Cider of Herefordshire comes this medium sweet organic perry. Lightly cloudy and a pale white wine colour. Has a light apple bouquet. The medium sweetness appears first then proceeds to nice medium pear taste and finishes a little drier. One of the better perries I have tried. Most perries are on the sweeter side but this is not overly sweet. 7.5% ABV. 9/10

New Forest Dry

From New Forest Cider of Hampshire, this cider is the driest I've had since Apple Falls cider of Prince Edward County. It has a slightly cloudy light amber colour with a light dry apple bouquet. Taste is very dry initially but on subsequent sips seems less dry and a mature apple taste lingers and not as dry. 7% ABV. 6.5/10

Pilton Carousel

From Pilton Cider, this cider has medium dark colour of fresh apple juice with a nice mature apple bouquet. There is a an initial mature apple taste with a hint of caramel; on following sips the caramel fades and it finishes dry. 5.2% ABV. 7/10

Ascension Pilot

From Ascension Cider company of East Sussex, this sparkling cider is made from Russet, Bramley and Braeburn apples. It is slightly cloudy white a light white wine shade with a fresh apple bouquet. It has a light apple skin taste with a hint of perry. Finishes a little dry. 4.8% ABV. 7.5/10

Sandford's Orchards Devon Mist

From Sandford's Orchards of Devon, this sparkling cider is the colour of Chardonnay with a fresh apple bouquet. Medium sweet with very light fresh a[[;e taste. Would make a good quaff on a hot day. A touch sweeter than I normally like but very nice. 4.5% ABV. 7.5/10

Oliver's Encore Blend

From Oliver's Cider & Perry of Herefordshire, this cider has a cloudy pale orange colour with an apple skin bouquet. Initial tart fruit taste then drier, but on second taste is less tart with an apple skin forward and a dry finish. Overall a rough apple intense flavour. 6.2% ABV. 6.5/10

 

Nightingale Falstaff Bramley

From Nightingales Cider Company of Kent, this cider is slightly cloudy and a very pale burnt orange/yellow colour with a fresh apple bouquet. Old apple flavour (in a good way) that lingers and finishes dry. 6.2% ABV. 7/10

I tried these and the next few British ciders at The Cider House in the Borough Market in London.

Weinkultur Preiss

I tried this pair of Austrian sparkling vintage ciders that I purchased at Hass & Haas in Vienna. Like champagne these ciders have a second fermentation in the bottle. This may account for the large among of foam that forms on pouring. 

Die Apfelkönigin von Viktoria Preiss 2022
Made from the Baya Marisa apple. Pale yellow in colour it has a nice apple skin bouquet. Taste is just off-dry with a delicate apple skin taste. 7.5/10

Die Apfelkönig von Maximilian Preiss 2021
Made from the Ananasrenette apple. Pale yellow in colour it has a fresh apple bouquet. Not quite as much foam as the Viktoria Preiss above. Initial tartness that lingers. The fresh apple continues and then finishes with some tartness. 8.5/10

 

Die Apfelkönigin
von Viktoria Preiss

 

Die Apfelkönig
von Maximilian Preiss

Goldkehlchen Cassis

Another cider from the excellent Goldkehlchen brand though not as good as their plain or cherry cider. It has a red tint similar to their cherry cider. The taste is tart but with only a hint of cassis unlike the pronounced cherry flavour in their cherry cider. Still a pleasant and refreshing quaff. 7/10

 

Strongbow Rosé Semi-dry

Light red in colour like a light rosé wine with a hint of soft berry bouquet. The taste is light berry and a touch sweet but not overly so. 7/10

 

Georgian ciders

Though a country that grows lots of apples, they are new to cider making—and, unfortunately, it shows. I tried many and none were up to current standards. The first three by NaturAle Brewery of Tbilisi whose retail store and bar I visited.

Naturale Chokeberry No.4
Light musty bouquet. Neutral apple taste with a hint of berry and slightly tannic and slight musty aftertaste. 4.9% ABV. 5.5/10

Naturale Dry No.1
Cloudy with the colour of scrumpy. Light musty, yeasty and very light apple bouquet. No real apple flavour; dry light with almost no aftertaste. 4.7% ABV. 5/10

Naturale Semi Sweet No.6
Very light cloudy pale yellow. Light fresh apple bouquet. Initial fresh apple and lightly sweet but with a light musty aftertaste. Mustiness fades and light apple lingers. 4,8% ABV. 6.5/10

Summer Hugs Grapefruit
By Backyard Brewery of Tbilisi. Contains apple and Grapefruit juice. Light pale yellow and lightly Cloudy. Odd cheesy bouquet. Very dry taste with a hint of bitterness like Grapefruit pith but with a light musty aftertaste. 6.5% ABV. 5/10

Tusker

This cider is made by the Tusker Brewing company in Kenya. They are primarily a beer maker who are part of the Diageo group. I was surprised to find on a trip to Kenya. It has a pale yellow colour and is off-dry. It tastes watered down and is made with the addition of carbonated water. 6.5./10

Caple Rd (150)

My 150th cider is by Westons Cider Company (who also make Stowford Press). From their notes: "Dark straw/amber colour. Dry, creamy and full bodied, oaky, smoky with subtle notes of leather." Bought on the Eurostar, it has a dry apple bouquet. Taste is initially dry with oaky notes. I don't detect the smokiness (good!). Lingering dry apple finish. Very good. 8.5/10

Sharp's Cold River

Tried this at a great pub at The Veteran Hotel in Ryde, Isle of Wight. Pale yellow with a light bouquet. Taste is off-dry with a light taste that finishes light. 7.5/10

Harry's Single Variety Dabinett Medium & Sparkling

Made in Somerset, it has is pale amber with a dry apple skin bouquet. Though called sparkling that disappears right away. Though labelled medium it seems more off-dry with an fresh apple skin taste. 8/10

Harry's Original Dry & Sparkling

Made in Somerset, it has a light amber with a distinct apple skin bouquet. Though called sparkling that disappears right away. Just off-dry with an apple skin taste that taste like real apple. That apple skin taste is fresh apple with tannins from the skins and possibly the seeds. 8/10

Long Meadow Berry Blast

The last of the Long Meadow cider sampled at the Armagh Food & Cider Festival. This cider was meant to go with the dessert but was not sweet enough to match the chocolate torte and macaroon. It was just okay by itself. 6.5/10

Long Meadow Oak Aged

Number four of the Long Meadow cider sampled at the Armagh Food & Cider Festival. This very different cider. It is a dark reddish brown colour from the oak and a slightly cloudy appearance. The oak aging adds a depth to the taste with subtle oakiness. It is a dark reddish brown colour from the oak and a slightly cloudy appearance. 6.5/10

Long Meadow Medium

Number three of the Long Meadow ciders sampled at the Armagh Food & Cider Festival. This one has is light in colour and has an apple forward flavour at the start but is quite light and the flavour fades quickly. 7/10

Long Meadow Blossom Burst

Another Long Meadow cider sampled at the Armagh Food & Cider Festival. An off-dry cider with good flavour. 6.5/10

Long Meadow Rhubarb & Honey

I tried this at the Armagh Food & Cider Festival, particularly at the Long Meadow Cider 5 course dinner held on Sept 6, 2024 at their very fine Bramley Barn dining room. The first offering was the Rhubarb & Honey cider that was to go with the starters of a variety of breads with various spreads and a curried cauliflower soup. 

As much as I don't care for rhubarb or sweet ciders this was well done for its type and quite good. It has a pronounced reddish colour and a light sweetness and the rhubarb flavour is not over powering. 7/10

 

Inch's Medium

I wasn't expecting much from this cider given its ingredients list: water, apple juice from concentrate, sugar, malic acid. It does brag that it is made from 100% British apples (well, the juice concentrate anyway!). It has a reddish-brown colour and a light fresh apple bouquet. It tastes like a commercial apple drink you would buy in a convenience store. Quite artificial apple flavour, but not horrible. 5.5/10

Diamond Medium Sweet

It is difficult say where this cider is from; the label says it is produced in the EU for a company in Bedford, UK but import by a company in Valletta, Malta. Colour is light like a ginger ale with a very light indistinguishable bouquet. It has a very light apple taste with a light artificial taste and is actually drier than I expected for a "medium sweet" cider. The labels says "apple cider with sugar and sweetener." That artificial taste may be from an artificial sweetener. 5/10

Aspall Premier Cru Extra Dry

Another from Aspall, this is one of the driest ciders I have tasted. Pale yellow like a Pinot Grigio with a light wine-y bouquet. It has a very light apple taste with a definite driyness on the finish which is not unpleasant. Very refreshing. 8/10

Knights

From the Aston Manor Cider Mill in Stourport-on-Severn in Worcestershire comes this flavourful cider with a kick at 8.4% alcohol content, it is the strongest cider I have tasted. The note that they use no artificial colours, sweeteners or flavours. A medium amber colour with an apple-skin bouquet, it had almost no apple flavour but more of a dry butterscotch which is quite enjoyable. 8/10

Outcider

Tried this in Northern Ireland but it is an Irish (Republic) cider. This is a standard generic commercial cider with a slightly artificial aftertaste. Nothing special, but not horrible. 6/10

Kilmegan Farmhouse Medium Dry

This cider is pale amber like a light beer but slightly cloudy. This is very much a farm-style cider with a light musty bouquet. It has a very apple forward taste that is lightly musty but follows with a strong apple flavour. Though labelled medium dry it finishes off-dry – not too sweet. 7/10

Stonewell Medium Dry

This second Stonewell is labelled medium dry but is not really that sweet compared to most medium-dry ciders. Very light apple-must bouquet with an excellent apple flavour that finishes a little drier. Again, a first class product. 9/10

Stonewell also make a non-alcoholic cider. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks very promising considering the complexity of the production process. From their website:

"Traditionally we’ve been an alcoholic beverage maker, namely cider. So in order for to us to produce a non-alcoholic beverage we’ve had to go back to the drawing board and return to our studies to find out what was the best way to square this circle. Instead of simply trying to make a concoction with fresh apple juice, we opted for the more complex route of removing alcohol from a normal cider.
We fermented a cider using typical bittersweet apples. Once fermented we then used a process of osmosis, or to be precise reverse osmosis to extract the alcohol from the cider. This leaves a lot of the characteristics created by the fermentation process but with the added bonus that there’s no alcohol. At this stage of the process the cider is still “dry” in other words contains no sweetness, so to finish off this blend we add a small amount of apple juice which broadens the mouthfeel and brings a delightful fresh fruit aroma.
Stonewell 0% is a refreshing alternative for all those looking to avoid the sickly sweet mocktails or fizzy rock shandys at a social occasion."

Stonewell Medium Dry

Stonewell 0%

Stonewell Dry

Bright yellow with a light bouquet, this award winning cider from Ireland is a winner. They note that theirs is a pure cider with no additives. Nicely dry and smooth with excellent apple flavour. Probably one of the best I have tasted. 9.5/10

From the bottle label: "Originally handcrafted in this farmhouse [in image on label] built in 1912 our Irish Farmhouse Cider is made with apples picked from trees planted 100 years ago in Co. DOwn. Using a traditional rack and cloth press this unique cider is made from pure juice. Later we blend in the sweet juice from late season eating apples to our fermented cider to give you a fresh apple finish. Suitably chilled our fresh Irish Farmhouse Cider is enjoyed on any occasion."

Orchard Thieves Wild

This is supposedly the drier version of the standard Orchard Thieves that I have tried, but it is still off-dry. I tried this at Toner's Pub in Dublin and it was the landlord who said it was the drier version. Light yellow colour like Chardonnay with a slightly floral bouquet. The taste is initially sweet but finishes drier. Considering that this is their "dry" version, I still find it a little sweeter than I like. 6.5/10

Rockshore

A Guinness brand of cider that I had on tap at the King's Head pub in Dublin. It is pale yellow like a chardonnay and the bouquet of apple must (pleasant). Taste is initially off-dry but finishes a little lighter with a very light tannic feel. A hint of pear in the aftertaste though it is made with only apples. Sweeter than I like but quite good. 7/10

KW Wild Cherry Craft Cider

A new offering from KW with the only flavour of cider that I usually try. Of the cherry flavoured ciders I've tried this has the lightest cherry taste. A reddish-burnt-orange colour with a very light cherry bouquet. The taste is initially light cherry and a slight astringency that is lightly sweet, finishing with light cherry and slightly drier.

Ironwood Cider House Classic Dry

From Niagara-on-the-Lake comes this slightly off-dry cider with a pale amber colour and light bouquet. The taste is pleasant with a medium apple taste with a off-dry aftertaste. 7.5/10

Eden Grove Perfect Pear Secco

Another cider from Eden Grove, this one a perry made from Bosc and Bartlett pears. As the name indicates, this is a dry perry which is unusual given that most perry are sweeter than apple cider. It has a lighter taste and I prefer it being less sweet. 8/10

 

Growers Light Black Cherry

Of the many flavoured ciders that Growers make, I thought I would try this black cherry one because I like cherry flavour. I enjoyed the West Avenue Cherriosity and the excellent Loch Mór Sour Cherry and the Goldkehlchen Sauerkirsche.

Even though the ingredient list indicates "natural flavours", the taste is definitely artificial, as is the bouquet. And it finishes with a strange aftertaste which may be from the other ingredient: sodium citrate. And it also has two artificial colours added. 5/10