Last year, I had the distinct pleasure of traveling to Great Britain to visit with our partners at The Wild Beer Co. in Somerset. Somerset, located in England’s “West Country,” is a rural and largely agrarian county, famous for its dairy farms and cider production. The West Country region stretching from Somerset down through Devon and up into Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, in fact, boasts the UK’s richest cider traditions. In Somerset alone, dozens of small producers make various varieties of cider and scrumpy – “scrumpy” being a loose, somewhat catchall term for the stronger, cloudier, and often more “rural” (read: funky) UK ciders. This more pungent “farmhouse” quality is an essential component in defining the singular and unique traditions of West Country cider.
Many of the wonderful producers I met are far too small to supply the US market; many of the larger producers tend toward a more commercial and less farmhouse style. We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we at B. United International are now importing ciders from Sandford Orchards in Devonshire. Sandford Orchards is a (relatively) small, family farm run by Mr. Barny Butterfield. Their ciders have won many awards including CAMRA Champion Cider of Great Britain in 2010. Sandford Orchards produces single-variety ciders, blends, and scrumpies of remarkable depth and complexity. Most incredibly, their ciders manage to balance clean, clear apple flavors with West Country “funk” (and beautifully so).
Sandford Orchards has prepared three special, two-apple blends for the US market, each unfiltered and unpasteurized:
- Ashton Bitter & Dabinett (6.8% ABV) – A pleasingly complex and refined cider with long wine-like notes throughout.
- Yarlington Mill & Major (5.6% ABV) – A more typical Devon cider, natural robust bittersweets marry with rounder fruit notes.
- Browns & Chisel Jersey (6.2% ABV) – Fresh, clean green apple aroma with wonderful light tannins and a crisp, satisfying finish.
Draft cider coming soon. Bottles to follow.