Time for another Westons, and this time it is the Stowford Press... though I am not sure if this is the most commonly found Westons or if its Old Rosie. Sitting the two side by side they are clearly from the same stable (though I will try to keep comparison to a minimum as this isn't the purpose of the review).
A couple of things to say about the bottle - which is the recognisable Westons style. Well, its more the label really. This is a pretty full strength cider at 6%, so why do they advertise it as an 'extra strength premium cider'? I am afraid that the use of the term 'premium' in the drinks industry leaves me cold, as it is used by such giants as Diageo and Coors to describe pretty much everything they sell (that is a generalisation, by the way... I haven't done the legwork to find out!)
Stowford Press is a crystal clear, golden colour in the bottle as opposed to the cloudy nature of its cousin Old Rosie. And it gives a fairly vigorous fizz when poured. There is a gentle smell of cider about it which is rather pleasant whilst I wait for the fizz to die a little.
To drink, it is very similar to Old Rosie (OK - comparison endeth, though they are very similar). Following my notes, it has a good amount of acid in it which doesn't so much compete with the tannin but the sweetness of the cider. The tannin is fairly minimal in the sup, although does come through as a little drying in the aftertaste... nice but faint I think sums it up. In all though, it is an appley cider which even if it is a bit on the safe side is pleasant.
Overall I enjoyed Stowford Press, although it seems a little to safe and bland... a bit sweet and syrupy. Mind you, its by no means the worst in this respect!
Ironically (now that I have checked), I have said very similar things about Old Rosie. Could it be the same cider (but with some cloud added for Old Rosie)?? Well, it doesn't matter too much as this is a good and reasonable cider... even if it is a mass produced cider.
Its score of 65/100 puts it just behind Old Rosie for me... but in fact I think they are pretty hard to seperate (and for all its export credentials, Old Rosie is actually stronger!)
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