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Hi Chris had a cider at the weekend which had a chalky flavour on the finish have you come across this before and is it an off flavour thanks

Great review Chris! I find Yarlington Mill is almost effortlessly enjoyable as a cider varietal, good to see Smith Hayne up on your channel now too 🍎

I tried this one at the Bristol Cider Salon recently, it was the first Yarlington Mill I've had that actually tasted like cloves (as people's tasting notes often say it does)

Brown's Stout, foxwhelp, tremletted bitter are my top 3 varieties.

When Wilding say rural method they mean cold racked to retain residual sweetness and then if fizzy last bit of fermentation naturally in the bottle. I doubt this is disgorged and they wouldn't top up with something else.

They’re a brilliant producer, I agree with you totally Chris 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

¡Gracias otra vez, Chris! (Thanks again!)

¡Muchas gracias, Chris!

In my experience with both cultivated and native yeast fermentations, a clean cultivated yeast imparts minimal characteristics and allows the inherent fruitiness to shine. The native fermentation is more an expression of the various flora and fauna existing in the must.

Thanks so much for reviewing us Chris! Love to get some expert feedback ❤

Love to hear of all the chance meetings that took place after London Cider Club. A very good crowd of cider fans 😊

Thanks so much Chris, I’m glad you like it. That perry was pet nat, but because it had a bit too much sediment, I plan to riddle and disgorge the 2023 iteration. Slàinte Mhath!

I thought for a drink to be called a Perry, the pears needed to be grown within viewing distance of May Hill in Gloucestershire?

Hi Chris! Glad you liked this and I totally enjoy. For me Foxwhelp is just such a fun cider. If you go into it wanting something that isn't Foxwhelp, then of course it won't work, but when you have an open mind and want to be excited by a flavour, there's nothing like this apple. It really is amazing. And yes, it is definitely a bittersharp, it is just that the acidity is so high and intense that the tannins are very much a supporting act - but they help make it drinkable for sure. It's called 'C1' because when we first started to release our aspirational 750ml bottles, we started with Raison and then followed up with three single barrel bottlings. An oak cask Brown Snout, a Butt Pear S.V., and the C1 Foxwhelp from 2018 (that's why each of those subsequently released has a custom label instead of just our logo). C1 means Cider Number 1 - aka, the first pressing of the season, which the 2018 vintage was. It was actually the only Foxwhelp we had at all in that year and that made it very special. The lower yield on the trees seemed to really add depth and a point of difference to the flavour, so we only released a 'C1' from the 2018 vintage and the 2020 vintage that were both off-years for our trees with very low yield of apples. In 2022 however there was actually ten times as much Foxwhelp fruit! So it didn't fit the biennial pattern - but the growing conditions of that year made it so exceptional anyway. Normally Foxwhelp SG is around 1.054, but this C1 2022 had a starting gravity of 1.068! Nearly 15% more sugar than average. That is a huge amount of extra flavour packed into those apples.

I'm slowly working my way through your videos. Very good, BTW! I'd agree with your comment on Hecks dryness. If it says its dry, its dry. Try a pint of dry in the George and Pilgrims in Glastonbury and you're in for a mouth drought. Their medium is very good if you're like me, and can't hack the mouth puckerers.

My favourite of the Lyne down ciders. So good, it should be on speed dial...

IMHO Lyne Down make the best ciders in the UK by an organic country mile. Try their Brown Snout, Somerset Redstreak, medium, and their Perry. There are some fantastic cider makers near to them too, but they have me returning time and again, theirs is a product too good to miss.

Cracking tasting Chris. “The aromatics go up the side of your head”. I love and also…: “no smoking gun” 🥰 very much enjoyed. What did James think? Should you keep some?

Thank you Chris, your reviews are so enjoyable and as a relatively new maker, they’re also very helpful and considered. I’m glad to see you back and hope you are well.

Think this is tasting even better than last year at RossFest where it was launched. I’m very tempted to buy a case now as I think it’s got a good few years of ageing ahead of it too ☺️

Hi Chris, I hope that shoulder gets better soon. I had a shoulder problem that took a long time to sort out. It really played havoc with the most simple things. Luckily it didn't need an operation. Now, onto the cider. My wife is Spanish and we obviously spend a lot of time in Spain. Let me tell you that cider is really taking off in Spain. We all know about cider from Galicia, Asturias and the Basque Country but did you know that it's in supermarkets and specialist delis all over the country these days. You can go into a bar in Madrid, Malaga or Segovia, etc, and it's on tap. It ranges in quality, just as it does everywhere, but the best stuff is excellent. I buy some still cider from a shop in Valladolid which is real old style. It's still, bottled at good strength (about 7%) and the stopper is corked. It's Asturian but, as always in Spain, the Galicians will say theirs is the best and so will the Basques. Needless to say, I've gorged on great food washed down with cider in many a sideria. The obvious food pairing being chomping down on some pork dish but works well with generous Spanish fish dishes too. Just a few weeks ago I was in a fantastic Basque restaurant (Zerain) in Madrid which has a huge barrel of sidra built into the wall. The tap is high up and it pours out at a great distance in the traditional style. (If you're ever in Madrid it's a solid recommendation.) Unfortunately, the very best Spanish cider remains local with a tiny distribution. It's very hard to find outside the region it's produced in except in some high end delis (in Spain) that have an interest in high quality cider which will appeal to a tiny market. The price/quality ratio is still excellent. I really enjoy it in Spain but it's an uphill task to take on England's best producers. I recently read a great book about cider, published over 20 years ago, which went into great depth about our finest producers. The Gwatkin family are mentioned and it's amazing to hear about a generations old farming family and its symbiosis with nature, plant and animal, and how this is part and parcel with their production methods. It's that farmyard note that elevates good cider to excellent cider for me. One of the reasons I love Gwatkin's as well as their expert carbonation when it is carbonated. By the way, the Spanish pour down to the hot coasts during the summer. The population of Madrid probably halves during the summer because they're sunbathing all day on the coast of Andalucia and Valencia. Good luck Harry, I'll buy some of your sidra if you can point me to a retailer. WT

Best wishes!!! Get well soon!

I’ve had several folks mistake KB blends as barrel aged in blind tastings. Especially when there is little to no experience with the variety. Wood and Smoke can be KB hallmarks.

Lovely to see you gracing the RUclips airwaves again Chris 😊 The world of cider and perry is richer for having you in it 😊

Good to see you back

Glad to see you back Chris, I've only started watching your videos recently so it's nice to know you'll be reviewing some new stuff!

How do you drink Keller lager? Caerphilly…

Finisterre is lands end in the wider cournaille region.The Breton are native Britons who escaped the genocide and slavery of the foreign colonial invasions by the Anglo saxons

Have you tried anything from Joilter's press? Fantastic cider. I had Ross on Wye Brown Snout at a cider festival last year but it was bag in the box. Smelt like a cow pat, but tasted great.

They now do two of these one which has been oak aged, one hasn't.

Nice one Chris. It sounds interesting. I haven't commented for a while and my viewing has been sporadic of late as well, but I just wanted to say that you have built a fine online catalogue. Well done.

Many thanks sir, glad you like this one!

Couldn’t agree with you more! This is an outstanding Perry, one of the best I’ve tried this year.

Good to hear the whiskey notes were muted. Not a big fan of bittersweet/sharp blends with much whiskey or bourbon notes. Too many competing and clashing aromas. Nice sharps (Ashmeads Kernel, anyone) aged in those casks are better suited, imho.

Yay! Always a pleasure to see a new video from you pop up on RUclips 🎉

Just had this for the first time, the good thing is I can drink this down pretty easily and don’t feel bloated and I am able to before and after

Cheers Chris. I'm not paid by Gwatkin's I swear but they just do no wrong for me. I agree with you about this scrumpy. It has a fully ripe, even bruised, apple impression which gives it a deep fudgy quality which the colour suggests. The bag in the box is more austere as always. I think scrumpy has a poor reputation simply because the stuff sold in most regular shops and supermarkets has been low grade commercial gut rot pretending to be traditional. What I like about Gwatkin's is that they are a company that make excellent introductory cider for those wanting to get into serious cider without compromising quality. They also cater to those used to high end stuff as well. I love visiting them when I'm in that part of the world and I have to mention their wonderful Red Cow restaurant which serves great food washed down with their own cider. Cheers. WT

Thanks for the great review :). Pen Caled is to my mind a triple purpose apple. Ripe it tastes like Ashmead's Kernel and has the same pear drop character but with a higher sugar content. Those Vigo corks really do stick in the bottles well, you are not the first LOL. And yes you said the name right, iechyd da!

Great video Chris. Keep them coming. Just put in my first order on your site (delivered to my parents - as I don't live in the UK :) ). Onwards and upwards!

The KB & BN blend was my favourite cider of the tranch we released at the festival last year because it was (and is) just an amazingly expressive cider that tells a fascinating story of fruit. But in general i prefer low acid ciders - hence Raison d'Être!! This one is actually a second fill of ex-rum casks. Cheers for the excellent review!

Cheers Chris. Spot on with all your assessments! ❤

Agreed - this one is fabulous!

Oh wow! What an honour to feature on your 500th episode Chris 🎉 Thank you so much for trying this one. You’re right, it was a wander around the orchard with my Dad to see what we could get on a set date kinda blend. I’ll show you the orchard next time you’re up - loads of heritage dessert & culinary apples in a big walled garden. There’s pics of the process on my Instagram somewhere back from posts in 2021. That cider was a very proud one to make for Jess & Meg’s wedding 🍏☺️🍎

Good job❣️

Fun fact: Upstate NY has many very fine ciders which cost about the same as a good bottle of wine and also come in corked bottles. Part of this is because Cornell University actually maintains an 800 acre plot of land dedicated to the preservation of rare and historical apple types, and makes grafts/seeds available to the community. Thus, you can get some really special stuff up there. Also, a few years ago they changed the law so that cider, wine, and spirits made in NY State can be sold at our farmer's markets. If you can get a hold of some of the pink ciders from there, go for it

The struggle with the cork is REAL

Great to have you back Chris 👍🏻

I've had purely positive experiences with Huffcaps

Many years ago, this was on tap at my local beer and music festival in Eastbourne. I loved the flavour especially with the hog roast served. Since then ive planted a dessert apple and some cider apples to try and replicate this.

Sounds good! Maybe I'll try making cider with my Cox and Evereste crabapple in a few years. It could would with the sweet and sharp. If it doesn't work out, Crabapple jelly is good.