RorySkywalker

Badges Earned (23)

The Original from Harry's Cider First of all, if you get a chance to go to Harry’s cider farm in Long Sutton, Somerset UK - go! There’s a great tour on offer as well. I went in the summer of 2020. The ‘Original Dry’ version of Harry’s cider is excellent. I saw Harry himself neck one after a hard day’s graft, chatting to him one evening when I went to visit. It’s bronze in colour, light fizz and a great aroma. This dry is cider is indeed dry, which I love - and it you can tell that it’s produced in smaller quantities than the mass-produced ‘giants’. There’s a wonderful light ‘hay’ hint on the nose and it’s very fruity with a faint hint of berries - but that’s actually just the homegrown apples kicking in. It’s just a wonderful effort, this cider - and Harry himself is a great bloke, as is his wife - if you get lucky, she’ll bring some lovely cheddar out to accompany your cider tasting. I’d gladly stock up on Harry’s original dry for Christmas. Everything he produces is worth a purchase though. The taste is sharp with a real zip. It then mellows but doesn’t caramelise - it just lingers and fades with a real apple kick and punch. Tastes very natural and real. At 6%ABV, you can get away with having a few on the trot which is nice - and I’d definitely recommend adding a strong cheddar to sample with this one. 5/5 from me. It’s a great dry cider and dry cider fans will love it. Reviewed on 18 Nov 2022 7 likes

Katy from Thatchers Cider Company Update:- April 2024 - the nose on this cider, after a swill, is full of zest and citrus. Faint, but punchy at the same time - if that makes sense? It’s the lightest coloured cider I’ve ever had - but how does it taste? It’s really good. It’s punchy, sharp, sweet fizzy and very tasty. It just lacks a bit of depth, body and length. If you like golden delicious apples, you’ll love this single variety from Thatcher’s. The Katy single variety apple is right en-pointe in this cider with a slight kick of sourness in taste and lingering soft mellow vanilla. It has a tangy taste that rapidly mellows into light toffee and caramel - you can really taste the pulp. So nice. This would go great with some cheese and crackers and a chutney - also with a nice salty snack such as pork scratchings. At 7.4%ABV you won’t get away with drinking this all night, (you might!) but you certainly won’t be disappointed with this superb entry from Thatcher’s in Somerset. This cider has a ‘champagne’ colour and the fizz really does finish off this well presented and well rounded single variety cider - a rarity these days to find a single blend. I’d give it 5/5 if it just had a little more in its body and aftertaste, but otherwise it’s one of the best 4/5 scores I’ve given. I’d give it 4.5/5, but sadly that’s not an option on Cider Expert. This cider is also superb served on its own, just do it some justice and make sure it’s chilled so you can have it without ice. Thatcher’s best cider by a country mile as the rest (mostly) are way too sweet, excluding the still ciders, (I’m taking about the carbonated ones here). One of the better single varieties - but I’d lean to Sheppy’s (as a producer) for a better effort in the single variety cider categories. Reviewed on 21 Oct 2022 7 likes

Dabinett from Sheppy's This cider is dry - I do love a dry cider! But it’s also a single variety, so that sets it out in its own somewhat. Under the nose there are hints of peel, earth and oak - give it a swirl and let it settle in the glass and then give it a good ol’ sniff! There’s plenty of aroma and it’s very satisfying. On sipping the cider - it bites - it’s acidic and then suddenly smooth with a real decent balance of tannins with a great acid line that’s short on length but with a sharp, rounded, dry taste. There’s a hint of ‘tin’ at the end of a lingering aftertaste, but that’s just the acidicity biting back. This cider has a great apple taste and is medium to full-bodied. At 6.5%ABV you need to keep an eye on it, but at the same time it’s a great single variety enjoyed on its own. In terms of colour, it’s a bronze-amber cider with a light hue with a touch of carbonation that doesn’t fizz at all and blends into a smooth silk on the tongue. As a single variety it’s a very nice cider and everything you’d expect from a Dabinett apple with a textured balance of sweetness in the aftertaste and dryness on first gulp. If the flavour was slightly more complex I’d give it a 5/5 but for now it’s a solid 4/5 and highly recommended. Reviewed on 08 Apr 2024 6 likes

Vintage 2022 from Thatchers Cider Company What is it with Thatcher’s? I just don’t like any of their stuff - except for the Katy single variety. Under the nose there’s a bit of citrus zest. Taste?! So sweet! Like so many other Thatcher’s ciders this is thin and pretty tasteless. This tastes like Thatcher’s Gold added to Thatcher’s Haze, with the cloudiness removed. I noticed that Judge (on Cider Expert) gave this 1/5 and tipped most of it down the sink! I’ve always respected Judge’s reviews - so if he says it’s bad, you can pretty much guarantee that it will be. I’ve given it 2/5. It’s pretty bland, pretty fizzy and pretty in colour - but that’s about it. It’s light and golden and frothy at the top. The taste is sharp and acidic. Like a punchy real lemonade. At 8.3%ABV, which is higher than previous years of this vintage, I’d have expected much more. Overall, here’s yet another Thatcher’s cider that’s getting a wide berth from me. Reviewed on 29 Oct 2023 - Got cider at Asda Worcester Superstore in Worcester 6 likes

Frome Valley Dry Cider from Henney's Cider Company Sweeter than I would like - but I don’t want to be too fussy. The nose on this cider is very eventful - hints of brown sugar and your childhood favourites from the sweet shop on the corner. There’s a very faint hint of earth and cinnamon but on the whole it’s a pleasant fruitiness. It’s medium in terms of fizz and golden in colour, this cider just looks great, not only in the bottle but in your glass too. It’s medium bodied in my opinion and more of a medium than dry cider. The fizz helps the flavour along which is fairly sharp to begin with and then mellows pretty quickly with a medium finish - it certainly has a bite I’ll give it that. At 6.0%ABV you wouldn’t want to go too crazy but I could easily accompany this cider with a salty snack or vintage cheddar and pickle/chutney/relish. I’ve been drinking this cider for a good ten years but this is the first time I’ve written a review of it. As a dry cider it’s certainly drinkable - but it’s just a tad on the sweet side, but tart and acidic. I’d definitely buy it again - and note that in Aldi in the UK the dry version is sometimes sold with a purple cap (usually on the ‘sweet’ version of this cider) so I don’t know if that’s an error in the factory or deliberate. Drinking this makes me want to try the ‘still’ and ‘sweet’ versions again. This cider is a real solid effort and I’d certainly recommend it. 4/5 Reviewed on 07 Jan 2023 6 likes

Imperial Cyder from Aspall It’s sweeter than you’d think, and that’s on the other side of medium-sweet. It’s strong too, at 8.2% - you couldn’t sink too many of these, unless there were a bed or nice hay bale nearby. I’m a big fan of Aspall’s ciders so I looked forward to sampling this one. It’s light gold in colour with a shimmer of bronze haze. It’s punchy, sour, fruity and very earthy. It’s quite acidic, a tad too much for my palate with a slightly bitter aftertaste - but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it makes it taste like an authentic ‘farmyard’ sparkling cider. It’s very sharp in taste and my expectation was that it would be a bit smoother like Henry Weston’s Vintage (also 8.2%). I had this cider after a long day pressing apples in the garden (making my own annual cider) and would say it’s best enjoyed alone. I’d give it 5/5 but it’s not as smooth as I’d like from a premium cider such as this one and therefore it’s a solid and worthy 4/5. Some will give it 5/5 I’m sure as it certainly doesn’t deserve a 3/5. Would buy again with the intention of knowing I’m drinking it alone, without a snack - and very chilled. Reviewed on 15 Oct 2022 6 likes

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 6 likes

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 6 likes

Traditional Vintage Cider from Pershore Press Picked this up along with 3 other ciders (from Pershore Press - Dry, Sweet, Discovery and Traditional Vintage Cider). The nose is lovely - hint of sweet vanilla, hint of farmyard and a hint of wood. Very balance. Taste? Is sweet - but very smooth with a silky caramel texture. The length is medium with an easy finish making this cider very drinkable. It says that it’s made from 10 to 12 apple varieties from Pershore Press’s Avonbank Orchard with vague tartness ans some tannins. It says on the label it’s ‘stronger in tannin and body and typical of a three counties or West Country cider’. (The 3 counties being neighbouring Herefordshire and Gloucestershire). I’d say it’s lighter in tannins that perhaps the back label would leave you to believe making it all the more drinkable. The colour is light golden yellow and the fizz is just there (it’s definitely not still). The taste is full of flavour and quite complex as the vanilla, caramel and honey kick in with hints of sweetness resembling an old sweet shop! It’s medium-bodied with plenty of light apple to kick it along (and more of a red apple variety than green apple flavour). For a vintage cider it’s sweeter than I expected but don’t let that put you off. If the sweetness was a tad lighter I might have even gone for 5/5 with this one - but it’s a solid 4/5 in my eyes and very well crafted. It’s 7.4% so it packs a bit of a kick - I’d say it’s very similar to Weston’s Medium Dry Vintage Cider (that’s 8.2% though) - and overall is very pleasant, easy-drinking if a tad too sweet for a traditional vintage. I’d also say it’s medium-sweet in taste with a tail-end of a dry finish 10 seconds or so after swallowing. Another great effort from Pershore Press. See my other reviews of their ciders here on Cider Expert. Best had by itself as any snacks will interfere with the flavour and enjoyment too much and wouldn’t provide any necessary accompaniment. Reviewed on 30 Jul 2023 5 likes

Green Goblin from Thatchers Cider Company Not much under the nose with this one - just a faint hint of something - whatever it is. Perhaps it’s the green goblin himself. The nose is fresh though - and light. Slightly peachy. It’s really sharp this cider, wonderful fizz to it. Is it dry? It says so on the label - and it is with an acidic edge to it, extremely refreshing. It’s light amber in colour, and orange-bronze when held up to the light. It’s also light-bodied. Taste wise there isn’t a lot under the hood but there is something about this cider that makes you want to take another sip - or mouthful! I normally would give 4/5 to a cider that didn’t have a ladleful of taste to it - but this could be a real session cider and I’d love to find it on tap somewhere. Bought this 500ml bottle in Morrison’s (a UK supermarket) in Bridport, Dorset. At 5%ABV you could have more than one and happily drink the night/day away. Reviewed on 08 Apr 2023 5 likes