I’m usually talking about wine but moving away from the grape and over to the apple we are now stocking a trio of new offerings from cider alchemist, Julian Temperley.
Famous for his Cider Brandy and Glastonbury Cider Bus, Julian is always trying something new and his Ice Cider was named as best British Cider in the Financial Times. It is certainly not what you’d expect when you hear the word cider.
This is a drink to sip and savour – in the mould of a sherry or even a dessert wine. Rich and sweet but not overly, you can taste the apples.
Ice cider is made by freezing the juice and then removing the ice, then fermenting the remaining juice, which is naturally concentrated. By doing this Julian ups the abv to a vinous 11.5%, and somehow balances the acidity and tannin.
It’s a winner, as it should be for £14.95, to stand beside his Somerset Pomona and Kingston Aperitif – as it does on our shelves.
Also new from Burrow Hill are his Perry (£2.75) and Sparkling Cider (£2.59). I’ve been looking for a proper Perry for years and it’s been worth the wait. We used to sell an organic one from Westons in Hereford but it was sweeter than Conference pears.
This is completely different – you can taste, and smell, the pears but it’s made from perry, rather than dessert pears, so it’s a different beast altogether. Definitely one for sipping (from a pint glass).
A blend of at least 11 varieties of vintage apples combine in his high quality, medium dry cider. The art of blending different types of fruit is key to the craft of cider making and distilling. At Burrow Hill, this is the responsibility of Tim Stoddart and Julian Temperley who between them have over 50 years experience making cider. And it shows.