RorySkywalker

United Kingdom

Score: 686

Badges earned22

Number of followers: 3


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Reviews written

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
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. Its champagne colour and 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 single variety ciders.
Reviewed on 21 Oct 2022
7 likes
6 likes
6 likes
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
6 likes
6 likes
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
5 likes
5 likes