The purpose of this little article is to put into words the joy of revisiting a bottle you may have tried a year or two ago. It may have been a firm favourite back then, or one that didn’t move you one way or another first time around. However, with the effect of time on the liquid in the bottle, and our own evolving palates, the return tasting reveals something – a glistening ray of liquid sunshine captured from a particular year; a fruit variety from a tree that has now succumbed to disease and been felled; or a specific barrel that yielded excellent flavour profiles in its time but has now become a planter in someone’s garden. Whilst it’s great form to review as many new releases and events as possible, there’s a real satisfaction with the revisit to a cider or perry – bottle conditioning working for these drinks in the same magical and widely accepted manner that it does for the wine industry. Acids and tannins in the drinks softening and preserving, evolving long after the initial harvest season has passed.

In a similar satisfying manner to a rummage in a charity shop, I like nothing more than visiting a bottle shop either in-person or online – rediscovering a bottle I’d long since thought had sold out and been enjoyed by everyone. Bacchanalia, an independent bottle shop on Mill Road in Cambridge, is known for its wine and beer selection. Tucked in the back room, on the bottom shelf of a vast selection of Belgian beers above, is the shop’s cider and perry selection. As well as Eastern Counties producers, there’s also always a great variety of Little Pomona and Pilton to discover (Epergne Russet was my star buy back in December). Conversely, there’s a real pleasure with online bottle shops like The Cat In The Glass, sorting the total amount of Cider & Perry by the “Latest” filter, and then scrolling back to pages 18-20 to see what gems are to be found from 2-3 years back. Quite often I’ve found a bottle of Halfpenny Green or Bushel & Peck that I’ve yet to try there, expanding my journey of exploration through different producers and styles (and ticking off certain bottles on Untappd along the way – I’m Jackabuss on there too if anyone fancies an add).

I’ve also noticed recently that producers like Ross on Wye have taken to promoting a bottle from their “archives” on social media. When I’ve been visiting in Spring to help Albert with his grafting project, or in late Summer to volunteer at RossFest, I’ve been drawn to the Aladdin’s Cave of the lower barn, filled with boxes on pallets of their stock from the last few years. These are the archives Albert is referring to. I first tried the HMJ, Dabinett, Reinette d’Orbry blend back in the early Spring of 2021, sat around the wood-burning stove in the barn, getting to know Albert and his way of working at Broome Farm. Such an evocative way of first introductions to a drink, that now every time I revisit that bottling, I can’t help but think back to chucking logs of apple and pear wood onto the stove, shadows encroaching, flickering firelight dancing off the nearby IBCs and pool table. The Harry Masters Jersey 2019 SVC also continues to revitalise the synapses and draw me back to a sense of place – these are the very trees I’ve been helping Albert and his team graft over to multiple different varieties every Spring in the Oak Meadow Orchard. I know this bottle has been a favourite of Ed’s over the years, he covered its initial release on here back in Spring 2022 very eloquently, mentioning it again in his Bottles of the Year for 2022, and it’s rapidly becoming one of mine too.

Here’s to the start then of a little series of fond revisits to bottles I find myself getting drawn back to again and again, for as long as they last in stock in bottle shops. Hopefully raising their profile a bit with new cider and perry drinkers, and gently encouraging seasoned sippers to come back and ask “what’s that bottle, back there?”

Ross On Wye Cider & Perry Co’s Harry Masters Jersey, Dabinett, Reinette D,Orbry 2019 review

How I Served It: From the shelf in my chilly sitting room (around 13°C till I got the stove going).

Colour: Toasted Orange Skin, brassy coal scuttle. Good level of fizz bubbling away in the glass.

On The Nose: Spiced apple flapjack. Autumn, from a world yet to see Covid-19 lockdowns. Green waxed jacket in the rain.

On The Palate: Seasons of mellow tannin! A juice bomb with a real friendly, rounded body in the mouth. Slight pipe tobacco note on the finish.

In A Nutshell: Bottled in the final month of 2020, this is tasting fantastic in the False Spring/Nearly Spring of 2024. Gorgeous presentation from the label – a warm fireside glow of a cider to seek out direct from the maker or from an online bottle shop. A great blend to enjoy this year!

Ross On Wye Cider & Perry Co’s Harry Masters Jersey SVC 2019 – review

How I Served It: 30 mins in the fridge just to chill it down ever so slightly.

Colour: A citrus basket of Lemons and Seville Oranges. Almost halogen street lamp hue. Very light effervescence when poured in the glass.

On The Nose: A heady mixture of apple sauce and bourbon barrel – a really rather appetising aroma! Oak, apple, and bourbon whiskey conveniently wrapped up in one.

On The Palate: Initially, it’s those vanilla-esque, milk chew sweet notes that sing, followed straight away by a bourbon and apple cider wave of flavour! Perhaps Milk Chew meets Apple Chewits? Bourbon barrel whiskies do often display this orchard fruit and vanilla notes. It’s oh so clean, oh so fresh, oh so vibrant, even after all this time. It does however feel it’s 8.4% abv – this is a hefty cider. Mouthcoating.

In A Nutshell: Joyous cider! At one point last year I really noticed the bourbon barrel influence exerting itself, and that’s still happening here when lightly chilled. For all its powerful qualities, HMJ has mellowed happily here in its bourbon barrel bedfellow and the resulting cider is a real treat to enjoy in 2024.

Conclusions

It’s hard not to be impressed with the evolution of these ciders in the bottle. There’s something incredibly eye-catching about their presentation too – those labels really pop off the shelf, with that understated metallic sheen. That these are still available in 2024 should be seen as a fortunate opportunity for those into dry, wild ferment cider – relish them, share them with friends and family, introduce them to people who have yet to try this style of cider. Before you know it, your friends may be professing a love of Harry Masters Jersey single variety ciders in the same way they root for a Carignan or Malbec? Affinity to apple and pear varietals is sure to help embed a sense of following to these styles of cider in the future.

I bought my bottles from The Cat In The Glass, £8.50 for the triple blend, and £9.50 for the HMJ 2019 . The beauty of this method is a grand mixed box arriving on your doorstep, with bottles from lots of different producers (some of whom I’ll no doubt be reviewing in further iterations of this style of post). Ross on Wye also launched their own webstore last year, and in amongst a plethora of 500mls, BIBs and books, you can also find their Special Blends Cider Box, which for a stonking price of £43.20 gets you six bottles (at £7.20 a bottle!), including these two reviewed above, alongside some other fantastic dry blends, direct from the producer. What’s not to love! I hope you enjoy seeking these bottles out, and if you already have, let us know in the comments what you think of them.