Somerset 5yo Cider Brandy

Somerset 5yo Cider Brandy

Brandy: Cider brandy
From: Somerset
Style: Single distillery
House: Somerset Cider Brandy
Colour: Polished pine
ABV 42%

N: vanilla, honey, fresh cut grass, stewed apples, caramel.

M: Light body, thickens, slippery, warm

T: bitter sour. Fresh cut grass, fresh baked bread, honey, prunes, cinnamon.

F: Short. Prunes, cinnamon, fresh baked bread, vanilla.

Comments:

Turns out that England has apple based spirits too! I love Calvados, the intense appley base flavour, with other fruit and sugary notes layered on top. The base apples contribute a lot to the character of the spirit. Let's see if the same holds true for its English cousin - cider brandy. This spirit is from Somerset, and it looks like it might be the only such producer in the county.

It's different from Calvados, much more herbal and spicy, much less caramel and butterscotch. It's fresher, not as sweet, and is well-aged. I enjoyed this very much, and I look forward to trying the older expressions. I believe there's a 10 year old version, which I'm now going to seek out.

Verdict:

I like this