Single & Ready to Mingle
When it comes to hard cider, blending a variety of apples is and has been the typical best practice. Blends ensure a well-rounded cider, and, quite frankly, there’s a fun, artistic element to pulling and combining the best qualities of each apple. However, the benefit of a Cider Maker experimenting with single varietals (a cider made from only one type of cider apple), is the opportunity to really focus on all the qualities and distinct flavors that a sole apple can provide. More and more Cider Makers, including ourselves, are pleasantly surprised with the results of their single varietal (SV) ciders, and we are thrilled to be adding ours to the WLC lineup!
Historically Approved
For us, the inspiration to create new SV ciders came from wanting to showcase historically known cider apples that contain unique characteristics and come with a story. If you’re familiar with our story and brand, you know that we are proud history and culture geeks and that we focus that passion into our orchard and products. We want to rub some of that passion onto our fans by sharing some cool details about a few of our new SV ciders, so we offer a brief Pomology lesson behind two of our SV ciders, Ditch Rider and Rivets-
Single Varietal Harrison- Ditch Rider
The Harrison cider apple is grown late in the season and is probably one of the most famously popular 18th-century American cider apples. The apple was a colonial favorite from Newark, New Jersey and was grown before and after the American Revolution. In fact, rumor is that they were the preference of George Washington! But by the 20th century, Harrison apples seemed to disappear completely from cider production. Why? Theories suggest urbanization and prohibition, but regardless, the Harrison apple was considered “lost” until it was luckily found at an old cider mill in New Jersey in 1976. With firm, yellow flesh, a spotted, scab resistant skin, and easily stored, Harrison is considered to still be one of the most coveted choices for cider making.
Our try with Harrison produced Ditch Rider- a rich, but dry cider that blooms with a bouquet of baked apple spices, lemon meringue, and slight floral notes. A taster will also catch an oaky creaminess, rich vanilla, herbal notes, and a finish of citrus.
Single Varietal Kingston Black- Rivets
Kingston Black (KB) is what we call one of the “work horses” of cider. This apple is considered a classic choice for cider blends, but is also reputable to be great all on its own. KBs are a small, red, bittersharp with higher acidity, sugars, and tannins- resulting in a more balanced cider. KBs originally come from England, although knowledge of their exact regional origin have been lost to history. Theories revolve around writings that point to the small village of Kingston St. Mary, England. Regardless of the starting line, by the mid 1820s, the apple’s reputation had spread like wildfire. For the average cider enthusiast, KB’s incredible juices easily place the apple at the top of their list. For a long time, it was probably the highest grown cider apple, however it is not exactly the easiest of varietals. KBs are russeted in appearance and are generally considered to be a poor cropper prone to disease, which caused its decline of commercial growth. Yet, despite the apple’s growing pains (pun intended), it was dubbed by famous Pomologist, Robert Hogg as, “The most valuable cider apple” and is widely believed by many as the apple with the best bittersharp juices around!
Our go with Kingston Blacks produced Rivets- a barrel aged, delightfully spice heavy cider that boasts sweet hints of cinnamon and oaky vanilla, balanced by flavors of a bright peach and bourbon, finished with an agreeable tartness.
Where to Taste
All of our SV ciders, including Ditch-Rider and Rivets, are available to taste out at our cidery on Saturdays and selected Sundays this month, or can be purchased by the bottle! You can also now find our Ditch-Rider on tap at Brewster’s Coffee House. We hope you all love our SV ciders as much as we do.
Cheers!