Caledonian Cider Co

Cidery in Conon Bridge, Highland, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Established in 2014

Contact
Clover Cottage, Burnside Lane, Conon Bridge, IV7 8EX, Scotland
Description
We’re a small independent cidery founded in 2014 in Conon Bridge on the Black Isle just north of Inverness. This is our exploration of cider at its northern frontier. The aim for our cider is to reflect as far as possible our local Highland terroir.

We use every locally grown apple we can get our hands on whether they’re grown in gardens or orchards, sharp cookers, juicy eaters or bitter wee cider apples, we find a use for them all. Our cider apple orchards are among the most northerly in Europe and provide us the perfect starting point for all our blends.

We only ever ferment freshly pressed juice using wild yeast found naturally on the apples and in the cidery itself. We both ferment and mature in oak barrels at ambient temperature. This ensures a cold, slow fermentation which tracks the natural weather fluctuations as we head through the winter and into spring, it’s not uncommon during the depths of winter for the juice to freeze solid for a few days at a time. With Every vintage bringing it’s own unique character the barrels are blended by taste to produce our individual ciders or are set aside for one of our single cask bottlings.

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7.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle at ash's. Pours clear golden, nose is toffee, vanilla, apple, citrus, taste is chewy toffee, sweet, juicy apple.

Tried from Bottle on 12 Sep 2022 at 12:20


7

bottle at ashs... clear golden yellow... thin white lacing... soft sweet apple pie fruit nose... soft fruit... soft apple

Tried from Bottle on 12 Sep 2022 at 12:18


6.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

On tap at Brauhaus, pours a cloudy blonde, no head. Aroma brings out light funk, crisp apple skins, and light core. Flavour is dry and gently funky, with crisp apple skins, apple core, and a touch of farmhouse notes. Dry and crisp, with some gentle whiskey character on the finish. Pleasant but nothing amazing.

Tried from Draft on 23 Aug 2022 at 16:32


8.2
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

750ml bottle from Aeble. Hazy yellow gold colour, thin white foam rim and aroma of rubber, islay whisky cask, phenol, iodine. Taste is sweet, apple, juicy, fruity, with islay whisky cask notes, peaty, phenolic, salty, with drying tannin. Medium bodied, low carbonation, dry mellow tannic finish. Very drinkable.

Tried from Bottle on 31 Jul 2022 at 20:44


7.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Sample thanks to danlo. Cheers mucker. Misty golden yellow appearance. Aroma is wild floral fruity. Crisp on the initial sip with a natural very fine, very light spritz. Tart, dry with white grape, sweet apple, quite delicate fruitiness with a natural sweetness emerging. Pretty good overall.

Tried on 14 Feb 2022 at 20:21


7.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

18/12/2021. Bottle sample courtesy of danlo, cheers Ed! Pours cloudy dark orange gold with a small bubbly white head. Aroma is rich, fleshy, apple, brown sugar, baked apple, light wood and whiskey. Medium sweetness, light bitterness and tartness. Medium body, soft carbonation. Slight tart and dry finish. Good.

Tried from Bottle on 29 Dec 2021 at 19:04


8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

750ml bottle from Cat in the Glass. Slight gusher on opening. Orange colour, short-lived fizzy white foam head and aroma of baked apple, fruity, barrel hints. Taste is sweet, fruity, tangy apple, whiskey barrel notes, with mellow spicy earthy tannins. Medium bodied, light carbonation, dry spicy tannic finish. Nicely drinkable.

Tried from Bottle on 19 Nov 2021 at 20:52


8

Tried from Draft on 23 Sep 2021 at 19:24


8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

750ml bottle from Cork & Cask. Orange golden colour, afew short-lived bubbles on top and aroma of funk, apple, fruity. Taste is tangy, apple, fruity, some orchardy funk, with light acidity and tannin. Medium bodied, low carbonation, dry tangy & tannic finish, Very drinkable.

Tried from Bottle on 31 Aug 2021 at 21:21


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

750ml bottle pour at Cider Salon 2021, Trinity Arts Centre, Bristol, 14Aug2021. Hazy orange gold colour, no head and aroma of fruity apple, woody, leafy, earthy. Taste is tangy apple, slightly mucky funk hint, leafy & woody, and tannic, drying. Medium bodied, low carbonation, dry leafy earthy finish. Nicely drinkable.

Tried from Bottle on 15 Aug 2021 at 18:29