RorySkywalker

Badges Earned (19)

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 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. 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 after taste, 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. Reviewed on 21 Oct 2022 7 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 for me hence why I’ve given it 4/5. 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. Reviewed on 07 Jan 2023 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

Reinette d’Obry 2021 from Ross-on-Wye Cider & Perry Co Another really decent effort from this wonderful cidermaker. On the nose, a bouquet of floral notes and a hint of lemon. My wife even suggested peach - the label reads pineapple and melon - so there’s lots going on here and whatever you smell, I doubt you’d be wrong. Taste? It’s sharp. Acidic. Dry. Lovely! It has a medium length with an edgy aftertaste - it just perhaps lacks a bit of depth and complexity that I’ve tasted in other ciders. It has medium to light fizz and a clear light golden appearance as you pour - which then gets misty once you pour in the last of the bottle and the tiny invisible particles of sediment. The apple is originally French, hence the cider’s name and it has a great flavour, just a tad short on length and thickness. This cider is a tad watery but I’ll let that go since the effort that went into making it with natural processes is to be admired. At 6.0%ABV it shouldn’t have you legless - except if you had a few! I could definitely drink a few of these in a row - but sadly just have this one to review (in the selection bought for me, I’m not paid to write reviews). An excellent cider. I’d definitely seek this one out again. Go along to sample some for yourself if you’re ever in Ross-on-Wye. 4/5. Reviewed on 25 Feb 2023 5 likes

Browns Apple Cider 2019 from Ross-on-Wye Cider & Perry Co Oooh. Lovely! A very sharp, fruitful dry cider. Under the nose - you can smell the manure! But don’t let this put you off! It’s so alive with organic life and vibrancy. There’s hints of hay under the nose as well - and a really complex aroma with a surprise dwelling of pineapple (I know, stay with me!) and so much ‘orchard’ and farmyard. It’s just superb. (Depends how you were brought up, but a farmyard to me was a pleasant smell, not repulsive). Fizz wise, this is on the money. Not too much, not too little - so many ciders these days offer something either side of the balanced see-saw of carbonation. To the taste - it’s great, hence my 5/5 score. This is a very special dry cider and an absolute pleasure to consume and review. It’s apply taste and dry finish is so complex and divine it needs to be tried to be compared. The taste hits so broadly - so wide - it’s amazing - and then it settles in and provides a rewarding apple fruit depth that is so rare in a cider. This one deliveres. And then some… It’s dry, yes - and I like that - but there’s a wonderful kickback of sweetness at the end that is then overcrowded by the apple aroma and broad taste of pure apple loveliness. The sweetness is natural, it never once tastes manufactured - and that - is this cider’s secret. This is cidermaking at the highest level. I’ve often argued the toss between which county in England is ‘king’. And I must say over the years, I’ve often swayed to Somerset - but I’ve always held a candle (a very British phrase!) for Herefordshire. This, for me, is the ultimate effort from Herefordshire and the Ross-on-Wye Cider and Perry Company and if I had to present one cider from Herefordshire to represent them all (and I appreciate that sounds like a line from The Lord of The Rings), then this cider would be it. A superb cider. It has it all - particularly if you are a dry cider fan, and I am - it’s just sublime. It’s complex and medium to heavy bodied. The nose, the taste, the finish - the hints of lemon, citrus, hay, earth, apples, it’s all there - it’s golden-hazy colour is to be adored - it’s just nigh-on perfect in my eyes. I’d give it 6/5 but we can’t do that - so I’ll settle for 5/5 - and at 6.0%ABV you could chance this one on ‘all day session’ and be in love with everyone you meet by the end of the day! (I reviewed this cider by itself, no snacks, cheese or additives - just some ice and as it was poured). Reviewed on 21 Feb 2023 5 likes

Low Alcohol Classic from Sheppy's As low alcohol ciders go, this is one of the better ones available. It’s sweet, sure - they have to replace the alcohol with something. But it’s refreshing, light, doesn’t smell of much and is essentially a slightly thicker, syrupy tasting sparkling apple juice. It does the job if you’re cutting down or trying or looking for a low alcohol alternative. 0.5% ABV, so does have a trace of alcohol but you’d never notice. Reviewed on 21 Feb 2023 5 likes