RorySkywalker

Badges Earned (12)

Henry Westons Vintage 2021 from Westons Cider This is one of the best out there. The Sales Director at Weston’s told me it was the biggest selling single bottled cider in the UK. Then he showed me a graph. Couldn’t believe that an 8.2%ABV cider was a best-seller. But then you taste it and understand why. This cider has it all. Medium dry, deep flavour and oaky. It has a great nose, very fruity and the taste is pure apple, nothing else going on here to sway the tastebuds. Let’s get down to the taste - very smooth and pleasant and you can taste a variety of apples here, very fruity. The tartness is so well blended, it’s like silk this stuff. So, so good. It’s gold in colour with light fizz - it’s just about perfect, for me anyway. It’s velvety smooth to drink with low acidity and tannins. The finish and length is subtle and medium to long and the aftertaste packs a hint of caramel and honey, just a hint. The label brandishes a sepia photo of Henry Weston himself, I think he’d be proud to know that since 1880 this cider is still going strong and one of the best balanced ciders out there - but at 8.2% you couldn’t go all day on this! Well, you could, but - exactly!...... One of my favourites. It’s in my 5-zone. 5/5. Reviewed on 10 Aug 2022 4 likes

Wilce's Medium from Wilce's Loved this. A medium? Isn’t that much drier than the ‘Dry’. What a well made cider this is. Golden bronze in colour, very earth and packs a punch with flavour. So good. Really impressed with this. This is a cider drinker’s cider! Earthy, fruity, with burnt oak - flavour hits the palate and lingers. The finish is medium with a slight roughness but it adds to the bite of the string apple flavour. Has a perfect medium-light carbonation. This would be superb with a hot curry or deeply flavoured cheddar. Superb. I’ve tried the dry, now the medium, the sweet one is next. There is also a vintage, I’ve heard. Found this in Laylocks Garden Centre on the outskirts of Worcester, UK. It’s also available by the box in Malvern and the Malvern Cellar in the town. 5/5 from me. This is a medium cider worth stocking up on. Reviewed on 24 Jul 2022 4 likes

Pearson’s Medium Dry No 2 from Pearson's Cider Company This is excellent. A tad on the sweeter side than the no.5 ‘dry’ but this medium dry hits the spot. Can definite taste the dabinett. Sharp, tangy taste, light fizz, lingers too. Refreshing and only 5.8% which is good for a craft cider as they tend to be stronger. Could easily sip this with a decent cheddar ploughman’s or steak meal. Pale, light golden colour. Smells great in the glass and the taste is medium to full bodied with an intriguing complex taste in the palate. 5 stars from me on this one. Not sure if I could session on this one though, but it’s nice as your starter for 10! Reviewed on 20 Jun 2022 4 likes

Pearson’s No 5 Dry Cider from Pearson's Cider Company Loved this for ages. One of my favourite dry ciders out there. Tangy and sharp, light golden in colour with a nice dry bite, but softer than some. Light sparkling, a medium to full bodied that is refreshing and very light for a dry cider. It lingers on the palate with a light aroma and taste. The apple flavour is fairly complex and really delivers if you’re a dry cider fan. 5 stars from me, this one is well crafted and special. No taste of the farmyard here, just deep apple aromas and taste. A real find. Bought this in the Co-op but I know Ostler’s restaurant in Worcester serves this one and the medium version by the bottle. Haven’t seen it anywhere else, so far, anyway. Reviewed on 19 Jun 2022 4 likes

Aspall’s Draught Cyder from Aspall One of my favourites. In a bottle, this cider delivers. It has it all. Light colour, fizz, sharp, fruity, zingy taste - golden delicious like flavour, with a hint of caramel and summer honey. therefore has a sweetness to its otherwise ‘dry’ label. Very light in colour and golden. Taste lingers on the tongue and in your mouth - really satisfying this cider, and can be consumed on session as it’s only 5.5%. I’ve had many a 6Nations afternoon on this one. Slightly different when served on tap, this bottle is the genuine article. One of the best all -round ciders available on the mass market. Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Majestic all stock it (I know for certain, not sure about other retailers) This cider is full-bodied and complex, sharp and refreshing with a zing, but sophisticated at the same time. 5/5 in my eyes. Goes well with any meal, BBQ, lobster feast, fish and chips, steak - anything. A good cheddar would accompany this perfectly crafted mass-produced cider. Serve on ice and enjoy! Reviewed on 13 May 2022 4 likes

Oldfield’s Original Worcestershire Cider from Oldfields Orchard Light apple in taste, light in fizz. Almost had a honey taste mixed in, and I don’t think it’s the bee in the neck of the bottle making me think that! Syrup taste, thin bodied, light golden colour, pleasant though. Refreshing and at 4.8% could go session, trouble is finding a bottle under £2.20/£2.50. A medium cider and a tad on the sweet side.. Have given it 3 stars as the flavour just isn’t complex enough, but I would buy again. Reviewed on 09 May 2022 4 likes

Weston’s British Vintage 2019 from Westons Cider Bought this at Weston’s shop after a tour of their factories. Amazing taste. Very little carbonation, light golden colour, very clear. Solid in body, but has a lightness. Medium dry, as it says on the label. Soft but solid fruit taste, similar to a golden delicious and lingers on the tongue. Would go well with a strong cheddar. Given it 4 stars so far, although it’s bordering on a 5, just need to taste test it against some Somerset favourites like Iford Wild Orchard. Only ever found this cider once outside of the actual shop at Weston’s and I think that was in a co-op somewhere. I do love this cider, and at 7.3% has a decent strength to be had as a treat rather than a session cider. Reviewed on 08 May 2022 4 likes

Aspall Organic Cyder 6.8% from Aspall Not the greatest taste - very punchy and sharp to begin with. Flavour fades but lingers lightly with a slight twang. Very floral/earthy zing - light fizz. Would go well with cheese - or for a refreshing pint on a very hot day. 6.8%. Reviewed on 03 Apr 2022 4 likes

Henry Westons Aged Vintage 2021 from Westons Cider Golden Delicious in taste - and otherwise light on flavour. There’s no nose on this at all, strange as it’s supposed to be ‘aged’ and ‘vintage’. To be honest, it tastes like a glorified bottle of Sxollie (South African). Light fizz, champagne colour - you could drink this one as a session cider. Edge of dryness on first taste followed by a long length of tartness on the palate and a lingering sweetness, which tastes very natural with a level of dryness, but short on taste. I expected more, but in reality, like other reviews, there is nothing remarkable here. At 6.5% it won’t blow your socks off so you can have more than one - but for me - I’ll leave it with just having one. Feel bad giving it 3/5, and wanted to give it 4/5 but just honestly had better. This seems to be a bit of a ‘throwaway’ entry from Weston’s. Reviewed on 27 Aug 2022 3 likes

Original Cloudy from Sheppy's I bought this cider on a special price in Waitrose for £1.76, so I can’t complain about that. It’s very light on fizz, it’s not still as some cloudy ciders are and is a tad on the sweet side of the medium-sweet see-saw. It’s better than Thatcher’s Haze which is good and it’s very light in colour, like champagne (but cloudy). It’s tartness is very light are are the tannins and the light, refreshing apple taste is a tad watery. On first sip it lightly fizzes on your tongue and the length is amazing - lasts a long time and that’s one of the plus points on the cider as the aftertaste is also very pleasant and fruity. At 4.5%ABV you could have a go on this stuff all day at a BBQ - or as a session cider - but for me the sweetness would eventually catch up and possibly push it overboard. Sheepy’s Cloudy has a great nose - very fruity and the smooth taste has a real dollop of toffee to it which aids the complexity of this otherwise ‘ok’ entry. It’s hard to find something bad about it - and it’s hard to find something remarkable about it too. It was great to try but I wouldn’t rush out to buy it again anytime soon as I’ve had better cloudy ciders elsewhere. It’s ok in all areas really - but nothing ‘special’ either - other than the Waitrose price at the moment (Aug ‘22) or £1.76. 3/5 for me as it’s a tad too sweet and doesn’t have much going on other than it’s quaffable, easy to drink and fairly priced for a Sheppy’s cider. Reviewed on 12 Aug 2022 3 likes