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"The
art of distilling has been revived in the orchards of Somerset..."
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| On Apple Day , October 22nd , we will commemorate
Somerset’s historic victory in Brussels with the release of a
Damien Hirst designed label and box for the 20 Year Old Somerset
Cider Brandy. The four year battle in Brussels ending with our
victory and the approving of the words Somerset Cider Brandy,
against vigorous objections from the Spanish, Italians and Scots and
the granting of a PGI, (legal EU protection for the spirit’s
geographic origins and an Appellation Controle) is in our view about
as good as it gets and the Hirst box and label will be something to
remind us of this for years to come. |
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The first written records of Cider Brandy go
back to 1678. Recently, however, there has been a revival of
interest, led principally by the Somerset Cider Brandy Company,
which in 1989 was granted by HM Customs the first full cider
distilling licence in recorded history.
Somerset Cider Brandy evokes all the magic and mystery of
the West Country's proud cider making and apple growing tradition.
Visit our
online shop
You can order our products on-line (secure), by telephone
(Visa and Master Cards accepted) or direct from one of
the many quality food and wine shops. |
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Autumn 2010 |
At Burrow Hill apples have been grown and
cider has been pressed for at least 150 years. It is the soil
climate and the apple varieties which give our cider and cider
brandy their unique quality. It has long been recognised that for
growing apples for fermenting England has three 'vintage' areas: all
are in Somerset; and at Burrow Hill, Kingsbury Episcopi, we are
right in the middle of one, the others being around Wedmore and
Baltonsborough.
Apples are the starting point for both our cider and our Cider
Brandy, and at Burrow Hill we believe it is vital to know their
origins. All the apples we ferment come from Somerset, and most come
from our own orchards which extend to some 150 acres. We grow more
than 40 varieties of vintage cider apples and the cider for drinking
or distilling is made by blending these apples. The blending of the
different types of fruit is the key to the craft of cider making. At
Burrow Hill this is the responsibility of Tim Stoddart and Julian
Temperley, who together have more than 50 years of experience of
making cider. |
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