Made by: Caledonian Cider Co

Made in: Conan Bridge, Scottish Highlands

Style: Medium Dry

ABV: 5%

Carbonation: Very lightly sparkling 

Bought: Good Spirits Co. Wine & Beer, Glasgow

Price: £3.50 (330ml bottle)

Producer’s website: Caledonian Cider Co

Also by this producer: Strange Bru

Caledonian is one of the real stars of modern Scottish cidermaking and the man behind it, Ryan Sealey, is a passionate and highly knowledgable advocate for real / craft / honest / proper cider, whatever you want to call it. I can’t recommend his blog highly enough and you can find it here: Ryan’s blog.

Just before I bought the bottle I’m trying tonight – Local Rocket – I learned that Caledonian has had a bit of a nightmare with the weather this year with sub-zero temperatures all but wiping out his crop for the year. (You can read more about on his blog.) The upshot is that he won’t be able to produce any of his core range this year – North Shore, Strange Bru or Local Rocket. That, my friends, is a hardcore bummer. And it lends a little piquancy and a tiny touch of sadness to tonight’s tasting.

Panic not, however, as Ryan has decided not to just chuck it for a year but has instead chosen to collaborate with Ross Mangles, a third generation Somerset orchardist who will be sending up a whole load of unsprayed, classic bittersweet cider apples from his orchard in Haselbury Plucknett. These will be blended with what Ryan is able to salvage from his home-grown apples to create a brand new cider, working title ‘North and South’. Or, as Ryan puts it, a “fascinating fusion of old and new cider terroir”.

Production practices will remain completely unchanged, all wild fermented in whisky casks, a proportion of the juice being keeved and the rest allowed to ferment dry with these casks then being blended to produce ciders naturally ranging from dry to sweet.

I’m in – and can’t wait to give it a punt when it finally hits the shelves. In the meantime, let’s have a look at Local Rocket. As usual, it’s made from fruit from unsprayed local trees and its been hand-picked. The pulp was macerated for two days and then pressed in an old oak press before being fermented wild in ex-whisky casks. Caledonian is, after all, in the heart of Scotch whisky country. It’s then racked to retain a little sweetness.

Incidentally, it can’t be just me that gets a kick from reading on the label all the geeky detail that goes into making a cider. It absolutely enhances the experience of drinking the stuff.

TASTING NOTES, AFTER A FASHION:

Local Rocket pours a rich amber, almost clear and very vibrant.

There’s lots of rich fruit on the nose, pungent and full. There’s some woody notes and a lot of that deep, powerful whisky spirit from the casks.

In the mouth it’s a big full flavoured blast of rich, tannic and quite sweet loveliness that isn’t a million miles away from a traditional Herefordshire cider. As it progresses the whisky notes really kick in and the memory of some striking dram is recycled back into service to add depth and complexity to an equally striking cider.

It’s pleasingly dry and austere in its own way with a bit of Christmas spice in there too but there is a pronounced apple pie sweetness, counterbalanced by the spirity whisky notes that are never far away and an acid crispness that stops the whisky taking over. The tannins are pronounced throughout and help keep a very bold cider in balance right the way through to the drying, grainy finish that goes on and on and on.

This is truly lovely drop with its own unique character that does an astounding job of reflecting both the unique terroir and culture of this part of the north of Scotland.

5️⃣/5️⃣