Healey’s Cyder

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Healey’s Cyder

Growing up in Herefordshire, one of the cider producing capitals of the UK, the scent of warm apples evokes for me a perfect autumnal evening; strolling back from the shops with a pink sky overhead, a slight nip in the air and the first coils of smoke curling up from the older houses chimneys. The scent is warm and pleasing, slightly intoxicating to young senses, while adults read it as a sign that winter is fast approaching. The taste however, is something different entirely; it speaks of warm days and long evenings with lightly beading glasses. For me, cider is the taste of summer.

Family-owned and based in Cornwall, Healey’s Cyder Farm is a true artisan business, employing traditional methods and a sharp attention to detail to create a range of some of the finest ciders you’ll ever taste.

Healey’s Classic Reserve Cyder – limited release (750ml/£7.62) – Matured in oak whiskey barrels for up to three months, and made from the very best brews the company produces, this is about as good as cider (or cyder, if you prefer the Cornish spelling) gets. Light and fruity with an amazing aroma, this is a crisp, thirst-quenching little number ideal for sipping around the barbeque on a warm summer’s night. At 8.4%, this is the strongest from the Healey’s cellar, which may have something to do with the storage, which infuses the drink with a balancing bitterness preventing the sweet fruit from becoming too overpowering.

Healey’s Cornish Rattler (500ml/£2.37) – ‘It’s cloudy, it’s cyder, it bites,’ is the tagline that Healey’s have gone with for their modern cider take. Now, I’m not so sure about the cloudy bit, slightly hazy would probably cover it better, but it certainly is cyder and although the bite doesn’t involve fangs it is noticeable. The aroma is lighter, less fruity and a good indicator of the taste, where apples mix with a slight bitter note, creating a perfectly quaffable blend. What’s more, Rattler lacks that classic bottled artificial aftertaste that lingers in the mouth like a bad smell with so many of its contemporaries. So, if you like a lighter cup with citrusy notes, then this could well be the drink for you. Healey’s Pear Rattler (500ml/£2.37) is also available, with a slightly lower alcohol content it’s one for the longer nights.

The fruit used by Healey’s is picked by hand, a traditional press is used, each batch is tasted and ‘tweaked’ by Healey’s head brewer, allowing the recipe to be altered to match the sweetness and tannins of each crop, while a bespoke copper lurks in the barn to produce Cyder Brandy, and in 2011 Healey’s created the first whiskey to be produced in Cornwall for more than 300 years. This is great example of a great British business doing well in a most difficult climate.

Healey’s Cyders are available in selected supermarkets and can be purchased online from www.healeyscyder.co.uk.

© Purple Peccadilloes