Jack Ratt Scrumpy

I really don’t like this. Really offputting nose, and no where near the rich flavour I’ve come to expect from a scrumpy.

Smells like farts. The taste was not very fruity. Tastes like the fermenting went bad.

Comes in a 500 ml flagon. Nice honey colour, and an aroma of cooked apple, with yeast and floral tones. Fresh, fruity flavour, with some caramel in the aftertaste, and a developing dryness.

Lyme Bay Jack Ratt Scrumpy Cider (6% ABV, 500ml). Made from freshly pressed West Country cider apples by Lyme Bay Winery from Devon, this is a still cider named after an 18th century smuggler in the region that contains sulphite, but no sweeteners nor colourings. The colour is a deep, clear auburn (definitely not golden colour as mentioned by others). Medium body, no carbonation whatsoever. Read some reviews that it smells of fart, which is definitely not the case. That said, the first nose from the bottle I got after opening did remind me of turpentine somehow, but in the glass I note phenolic baked apples, farmyard funk, oak and raisins. The farmyard notes (which might be interpreted as featuring some cow dung, actually) extend to the palate, with baked apple, dry oak, raisins, and is getting increasingly tannic towards the finish. Oaky, dry aftertaste with apple skins, phenols. Lyme Bay have announced they're discontinuing their ciders to focus on wine production exclusively (with the exception of mulled cider), so if you appreciate the flavours I just mentioned, you should try to hunt down this one while supplies last. For my taste, it's a little TOO special. 5.5/10.

Golden colour, still and clear. Fresh floral aroma. Fruity flavour with maybe a little toffee with a citrus finish. A little dry.