Perry's Farm Pressed Dry Cider

I have to say (in my most objective way) that I have been looking forward to this cider. And having spent the day playing with cider its just what I need to settle down to:-)

Pouring it out, its a lovely golden colour and (whats this?) it looks a bit hazy... I am going to have to let it settle a bit as the fizz is a little more persistent than the other ciders. And the smell is deep and lovely - Somerset cider apples leaping out with lots of body. It smells dry - so is it?

One word before I taste this. I am impressed. I generally try not to heap stacks of praise on cider makers themselves (although at the artisan end of the market the product is most definitely a reflection of its maker). However, when a larger producer actually takes the time and care to control the end result like this it is a good sign. I don't mean that they personally bottle it - more that they actually differentiate and control how much filtering goes on; restricts the amount of carbonation etc. It appears to me that Perry's do all these things and its a good thing!

Now. Lets try it. Nicely dry, although not wildly so. They have balanced the acid and tannin pretty well and the flavour persists because of it. The tannins themselves are pretty harsh and drying. The acid is quote sharp too and counters the tannin well. However, the drying in the mouth is still there.

Neither of these things disrupt the background flavour and profile of the cider though - it is far too easy to go in too heavy with a dry cider. And there is something; yes, cider ferments to dry and therefore dry cider is the easiest cider to make. However, its also where the cider is most starkly revealed for what it is - tannin and acid, if done wrong, are easy to spot. And lack of body (mainly with desert apples) is hard to hide. So, in some ways a dry cider is much harder than a sweeter one, or one where carbonation can hide the faults a bit.

The aftertaste lingers well and is mostly drying, although I can still get the apple flavour from it.

This cider is really well done. For all that, I do think it could use a touch more character to it - perhaps a dominant variety. Mind you, that is really picking hairs so really I should just shut up and enjoy it...

90/100 is a well deserved gold apple for Perry's. I like this a lot:-)