wrogins99

Badges Earned (5)

Black Dragon Welsh Cider from Gwynt y Ddraig Cider I opened the bottle, poured out a glass and took my time to savour the aroma. Well to start on a down note, sulphur is the overwhelming smell.... No fruitiness, no other complex floral hits just eggy, smoky, sulphur. How the heck if you were producing a craft cider would someobody not say ' I'm not sure about you but sulphur can not be interpreted as pleasant, we need to fix this'! Good tannins, lovely colour and medium dry sweetness. Flavour profile- nothing to shout home about. Usually craft ciders have that aromatic taste of dabinett cider apples coming through but this doesnt have anything that stands out on your tongue. It's definitely drinkable but i'm giving it a 2 because as a craft cider this company should not take their customers for granted. Even though the majority of the people on this site seem to feel like, alcoholic content, fizz, and generic apple taste is worth 5 stars there are some who can tell whats good and whats not. Reviewed on 16 May 2026 4 likes

Whisky Cask from Thistly Cross I was looking forward to this as they have just won an award for their rum barrel cider. On first pour I got some whiskey notes straight away ( great start i thought)- I stayed with it to try to get some apple cider notes underneath- perhaps some scent of woody tannins coming through but not much. on tasting, however, very disappointing- very sweet, no tannins, and no sour flavours to offset the sweetness. I really persevered but I just couldn’t finish the bottle! After reading the history behind the brand ' an artist meets with a farmer' essentially an idea to make money before an real understanding or interest in the history of cider or flavour profiles. Reviewed on 02 Sep 2026 3 likes

Granny Smith from Sxollie I've been steadily sampling all the craft ciders from all major UK supermarkets. This absolutely goes bottom of the list. Had a farmyard smell, no tannins at all, zero body and no notes of extra acidity- which is what I was expecting from a cider made purely from Grannies. It makes me think that the people behind this cider don't really care, or even know what makes a good cider. Judging by the rave reviews on here - it makes you wonder how easy it is to please people with no discerning tastebuds Reviewed on 28 Sep 2025 3 likes

English Vintage Cider from Lidl Deluxe I've just tasted this off the back off a 3.20 500ml Sommerset (shipley cider) As a lower price Lidl cider this still hits the mark. Aroma is slighlty lemony along with a faint farmyard smell, id almost put it down as an un-lit match smell. Good strong body, nice colour and a fizz which isn't overpowering. Overall a solid robust cider 3/5 Reviewed on 03 Oct 2025 2 likes

Somerset Oak Matured Vintage Cider from Sheppy's Spicy, almost gingery aroma. Very rich, full bodied, complex flavours. Tannins come through nicely. It isn't very sharp, which is a shame because I think a little more acidity would cut through the richer flavour profiles. I'd say this has a lot going for it in terms of aroma, body and tannins. The oak taste really defines this cider, and to some degree, it's a little overpowering (in terms of a person think big personality, who's good at a party but you wouldn't want to see often) I'm going for 4/5 not only for the flavours but also because there is so much s**t cider out there at the moment that this represents one of only a few remaining good ciders left in the UK that is available in big supermarkets. Reviewed on 03 Oct 2025 1 like

Hellens Early from Ross-on-Wye Cider & Perry Co Perry pears always have a tendency to either make you love or hate its alcohol. This particular bottle was shocking- initially in terms of the aroma. Personally I wouldnt have sent this for sale for such a god awful farmyard stink. I tried at first to be nice and say ohhhh straw ahhhh hay even sauvignon blanc but in the end i just went for a mad farmyard manure mixed with some kind of citrus hints. The taste is citrusy ( i'm still with that sauvignon taste) with touches of strong lemonade - I would be willing to add to the complexity of the taste if it were'nt for the smell!. I'm not doubting the quality of the production but should a perry smell this bad? Reviewed on 07 Oct 2026 0 likes