Pommies Original

From Calidon, Ontario, comes this semi-sweet cider that they refer to as "English style." It is pale in colour with a nice bouquet and a full apple flavour  Sweeter than I usually like to drink, but for its type is very good. 8/10.

Hard Way Limited Release Barrel Aged Cider

The second cider I tried from Hard Way Cider Co. in Kingston, Ontario. (See the first here.)  This one is a very dry barrel aged cider. It has a light amber colour and light fresh apple bouquet. There is an immediate light apple flavour with light hints of the barrel aging. It has just the right amount of astringency for a cider this dry without being too sharp, though the flavour fades quickly. 8/10

Vieni Sparkling Cider

Winner of a double gold at the 2016 Finger Lakes International Wine Awards, is an excellent sparkling cider from Lincoln, Ontario cider maker Vieni. Made from Gala, Mackintosh, Honey Crisp, and Golden Delicious apples with a 6% ABV. It is an off-dry smooth drink with a pronounced apple flavour and a good aftertaste. 9/10!

Hard Way Cider

Kingston now has its own cider maker - Hard Way Cider Company located at 748 Development Drive. VisitKingston has a good article on the company. Open Tue-Sat 11:00-18:00. They started out to create really dry ciders, and their range expresses that. Different from most cider makers, they age the cider in oak barrels. They have some unusual flavours; for instance, one cider is aged in old tequila barrels.

I tried the Rogue cider and found it very dry but flavourful with a more complex flavour due to the barrel aging. Quite nice though I would prefer with food because of the extreme dryness.

MacIvors Traditional Dry

An Irish cider that I tried in Dublin - on tap. Made from 100% fresh pressed apples. This is probably the same as the Dry Irish I had in Northern Ireland in a bottle. Quite good. 7/10

Traditional Dry

Dry Irish

Thatchers Haze Cloudy Somerset

In Edinburgh at a pub, I tried this bottled cider. Its tagline is "made with the sweetest apples." Despite that, it is not as overly sweet as I feared it might be, and it was not bad when served cold. Strong apple taste that fades after a few sips, and there is not an overtly sweet aftertaste. Refreshing. Made from Jonsgold apples. 6.5/10

High Diver

Had this on tap in England. Very pale green-yellow colour and lightly cloudy, which may be from the tap pull adding micro-bubbles. A nice off-dry, light, crisp cider.