A cider from Wales, this. A cider made in Swansea and purchased in Cardiff at a Tesco. I am a little confused about who actually makes it. Well, I know who makes it, but I have no idea who or what Tomos Watkin is. The producer (well, you have to put your company details on the label) is The Hurns Brewery Co.
So, a little web searching later (just to prove I am no ale drinker) reveals the Tomos Watkins is clearly the trading name for said brewing company. The website is all real ale, plus a cider. Looks the sort of company who should care about their products. Lets try it then.
Its a very pale golden colour (I recorded yellow in my notes), its also very foamy and fizzy and bright. The aroma is pretty faint too - this is starting to sound a little familiar to a certain type of cider, and not the sort of thing that should come from a company who cares about what goes in to their produce.
As expected, the taste is also fairly weak - although there is some tannin and acidity to it, which comes through well. Its all very balanced and safe though.
I would compare this cider to the others in the category - Magners, Bulmers etc. and I ought to make the point that each supermarket has starting adopting a non Magners/Bulmers etc. cider which is pitched in a more 'local' fashion. This has good potential but sadly on many occasions this fails to be any more than a locally produced commodity cider... More full juice ciders please:-)
Just a comment though - this is a company who clearly care about their real ale. Re-looking at the website, their cider page simply says "No ice, no blarney, no gimmicks. Straight from the fridge, chills to the core." So, not much content there, but I would just say this; is it any wonder I am sceptical about ciders and the marketing behind them?
A score of 50/100 backs up my comments here and puts it well and truly in the middle of things.
