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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.
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.
7.6/10
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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
7.4/10
—
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
8/10
—
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
8/10
Tried
from Draft
on 23 Sep 2021
at 19:24
8/10
—
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
7.4/10
—
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
7.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
750ml bottle pour at Cider Salon 2021, Trinity Arts Centre, Bristol, 14Aug2021. Golden colour, no head and aroma of peaty barrel, apple, woody. Taste is apple, with peaty woody barrel notes, some drying acidity and woody tannin. Medium bodied, low carbonation, dry acidic & tannic finish. Nicely drinkable.
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Aug 2021
at 18:24
6.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
330ml bottle - Pours an almost clear golden colour with a large fizzy white head that settled to a small white head. Aroma is fruity, green apples and hints of grass and wood. A crisp fruity taste, apple juice and apple peel flavours with a light bitterness and tannins in the finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Jun 2021
at 11:46
7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
750ml bottle from Cat in the Glass. Yellow gold colour, afew short-lived bubbles on top and aroma of musty apple, fruity. Taste is slightly tart, fruity apple, fleshy, some funk, wood barrel hints and light citric acidity. Medium bodied, low carbonation, medium-dry finish. Nicely drinkable.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 May 2021
at 21:00
6.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
750ml bottle from Cat in the Glass. Slightly hazy pale yellow gold colour, short-lived white bubbly head and aroma of apple, fruit, hint of honey, woody. Taste is sharp, tart, apple, fruity, fleshy, some skin, honey-like hint, with citric acidity. Medium bodied, light carbonation, dry tart acidic finish. Quite drinkable.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 May 2021
at 18:49