RorySkywalker

Badges Earned (13)

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

Andsome Bay from Hunts Cider Now this has got something! Wonderful sweetness to it - with a depth of flavour as well. It’s sweet with a real faint distinct dryness towards the end of its length. A bronzed coloured cider that swoops around your palate with vigour and intrigue. It leaves a slight stickiness on your lips - which I like - and then continues to deliver in its aftertaste with light honey and treacle. It also has a hint of earth and you can taste the oak. It hardly has any fizz to it; but that’s not missed as the flavour more than makes up for it. At 4.8%ABV you could have more than one of these and I’d firmly put it more in my list of ‘winter’ ciders than the obvious list of summer ones. On the nose it had a real sharp zest and really pleasant aroma. I’m not normally mad for Devon ciders but this one has really impressed. This cider is perfectly fine on its own and needs no accompaniment - not even a snack. 4/5. Reviewed on 21 Dec 2022 5 likes

Kicking Goat Medium Craft Cider from Kicking Goat Bought this as part of an ‘Award Winning’ cider hamper on Amazon (although I’m sure it comes from the Bristol Cider shop). Very dizzy this one - like Irn Brew on initial taste: and very bronze in colour. It’s very sharp tasting, with a dryness that lingers and fades leaving you wanting more. On the nose it’s particularly earthy with a hint of the farmyard. It’s very nice and very pleasant drinking. I would say it’s on the drier side of medium, but with a strong sweetness and fairly tannic, but not too much. At 4.8%ABV it’s also very drinkable. First time I’ve had this one - but I’d buy it again. Was a lovely surprise as through the bottle and when it your glass it could very well be Magners Original - but i wouldn’t compare it in the slightest. It’s very good - and very well crafted. You can taste the care that’s gone into this. Would be great with a cheeseboard - or with cheddar and green grapes. It’s also go well with pork scratchings. Would definitely buy again. A great crafted medium dry cider (although it says medium on the bottle). (Loving the back label too - with a message from the cider-makers saying it’s “great cider, no kidding” and the joke about clearly being related to goats. Didn’t go unnoticed). A sense of humour often goes with character and this cider has that in abundance. 5/5 from me. A great discovery. Reviewed on 20 Nov 2022 5 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 5 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 5 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 5 likes