We make a few varieties of hard ciders, depending both on what kind of apples we are able to get our hands on and on what sort of a state Jonathan is in. Virtually all of our ciders are barrel-aged and you can taste the difference in our products! We grow Golden Russet, Gold-rush, Yarlington, Kingston Black, and Dabinett in our own orchard, but when the trees don’t bear (like this season! eheu!) we buy in apples such as Fortune and Empire from ace-growers Clark Brothers in nearby Ashfield, Mass. Here’s the current lineup:

“Fortune” (6.5% a.b.v.) : Crisp, piercing acidity with fresh apple on the nose. Barrel-aged character evident, caramelized notes in the end palate. An excellent light, sparkling cider made from the fabulous mid-modern cultivar ‘Fortune’.

“Apple Pommeau” (19.5% a.b.v.) - This sweet nectar is port-like in strength and has unmatched apple intensity. It’s a special blend (based on a traditional French tipple) of hard cider and apple brandy that is superb for slowly sipping over ice. Preferably by the side of a fire, in a comfy chair. OK, it’s true – we may have tried this a good few times.