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Kingston Black Aperitif Somerset Cider Brandy Co
Kingston Black Aperitif Somerset Cider Brandy Co
Bottle Price: £9.50
Case Price: £108.3
- Country: England
- Region: Somerset
- Grape Variety:
- Alcohol: 18%
- Bottle Size: 50cl
or
You can mix any 12 bottles of wine(or more) to get the ‘case price’ for each bottle.
A blend of cider brandy and vintage cider apple juice, it has the sweetness of apples with a depth and quality of flavour from legendary Kingston Black apples.
Somerset Cider Brandy Co
Kingsbury Episcopi, Somerset
Julian Temperley produces a series of Somerset cider brandies that are equivalent to the top Calvados from France and are aged in oak barrels (sourced from Jerez, Limousin in France and as far afield as Hungary) for up to ten years.
A visit to his premises in the deepest, darkest part of Somerset will take you back to a time pre-dating commercialism and hi-tech gadgetry. A word of warning if visiting - take your wellies. The yard is running with apple pulp, juice and mud, but behind bullet proof glass are two copper stills (Julian’s pride and joy) used to make this delicious cider brandy.
Julian's licence, granted by HM Customs in 1989, is the first full cider distilling license in recorded history. Since then the business has grown to 150 acres of apple orchards with 40 different variety of apple grown.
Kingston Black is a small dark red apple, formerly grown in the West Country cider-producing regions of England, and now a popular variety amongst cider enthusiasts. However it is not the easiest of varieties to grow, generally considered a poor cropper and somewhat prone to disease.
English cider is traditionally produced using blends of Sweet, Bittersweet, Sharp, and Bittersharp juice - Kingston Black produces one of the best bittersharp juices. Hogg, writing at the end of the 19th century refers to Kingston Black as "the most valuable cider apple", and Kingston Black is widely believed to have one of the best-flavoured juices.