I’m writing this intro amongst the clatter and cardboard of the Ross-on-Wye Cider Festival (affectionately Rossfest) coming together in the bottom barn at the eponymous cidery. Banners and bunting are being hung, tentpoles are being resolutely shoved into the wrong bit, we’ve stuck a frisbee in a tree twice and Albert Johnson is marching about with a tiny human over his shoulder looking, in context, remarkably relaxed. I, of course, am cheerfully in the way, for which I have made no apologies and don’t intend to start now.

As has become customary, the opening of the festival will be marked with the tasting of the Ross-on-Wye Special Releases, which I discussed in some detail with Albert on Cider Voice here. And, as has also become customary, I’m reviewing them ‘in situ’ again, ably aided this time by our newish scribe Beatrix Swanson, who is attending Rossfest for the first time.

I’ve a lot of notes to make here, and frankly I’m currently wasting good being-at-the-farm-with-the-laptop-shut-and-forgotten time, but I do think these releases are worth a little prior musing, because they are Big. Big in terms of importance to Ross-on-Wye, big in terms of the characters of the apples and pears involved, and, for the most part, big in terms of their alcohol level.

Virtually everything we’re tasting today clocks in over 8%. The flagship of the Festival Releases is always Raison d’Être, Ross-on-Wye’s most important cider, which I’ve already reviewed. That one, an oak-aged blend of Dabinett and Bisquet, clocks in at 8.4% – and only because Albert found a barrel of lower-strength but sufficiently characterful cider to blend it back down with. There’s the strongest Foxwhelp Ross-on-Wye have ever bottled, a couple of perries over 8% as well and one or two more chunky bittersweets.

The characters themselves are no shrinking violets. Foxwhelp that has been in a peated whisky cask. Flakey Bark – possibly the most intensely characterful pear already, aged in an oak barrel. Hagloe Crab – also partially aged in peated whisky casks, Raison d’Être itself. A rumbustious-sounding blend of Dabinett and Ashton Brown Jersey, unlikely to be a shrinking violet – that’s been oaked too. The Gin pear, at least, is 4%.

Intensity is something cider often fears. ‘8.4%!? Golly, that’s pretty strong for cider, isn’t it?’ Single variety Foxwhelps, barrel ageing, tannins, acid – all are worried about. The beerification has set the national view of cider as light, fizzy, meek in flavour and around 5 or so per cent tops. And so anything above 6 or so is seen as terrifyingly strong, despite being far, far below even the most modestly-strong wine. There is fear of the structure of tannin, the bite of acidity, of the natural flavours, charismas and intensities of these remarkable apples and pears that grow in significant quantities nowhere else in the world.

Obviously I have to acknowledge ‘the p word’, and admittedly most of the words I’ve written in the paragraphs above are absolutely laser-targeted to my preferences. But boldness, intensity of flavours, complexity of character, assertion of structure – these are the elements that make drinks truly compelling. Some may polarise; I acknowledge that a peated cask Foxwhelp is not for everyone, and Flakey Bark frankly revels in its otherness. But it is precisely this diversity of character that can capture palates and imaginations, precisely these components of structure that enable full-juice cider to pair so beautifully well with such an extraordinary range of foods.

What’s more, strength and character are direct reflections of apple and vintage. Most of these ciders are from 2022, a remarkably hot year which saw enormous sugar ripeness. It would be odd and unnatural for a dry Dabinett-Bisquet or Dabinett-Ashton Brown Jersey blend not to be 8 or so per cent, just as it would be unnatural for Foxwhelp to be a demure, low-acidity glassful. Cider’s range of flavours and structures and styles is vast, and the whole extent of it deserves to be – arguably needs to be – celebrated and loudly championed.

Some full juice ciders are gentle and delicate, full of elegance and nuance; the sorts of ciders that command attention through the softness of their speech and reward long cerebral evenings of unpicking, or drinking with joyful abandon outside on a sunny day. But cider apples and perry pears and the drinks that spring from them can also thunder and rumble and blast with orchestral magnificence, and these are the sorts of ciders that most people don’t realise exist. You may love Flakey Bark or not; you may hate peated Foxwhelp. But you’ll probably not be ambivalent and you certainly won’t forget it.

So here’s to intensity, and to memorable ciders and perries that wear their hearts on their sleeves. On which note, it’s time to do some tasting.

Three perries and five ciders in the lineup, though I’m not writing a note for Raison d’Être as I’ve already done so here. But you can enjoy Beatrix’s note for it instead. All are available from Ross-on-Wye’s website and a handful of other online retailers, and they range from £10-£12 per 750ml bottle.

All of the below were served at barn temperature, but other than the Gin and Moorcroft, which I’d lightly chill, and the Bridgewell Orchard, which I might ever-so-lightly chill depending on my mood, barn temperature is how I’d serve them anyway.

Ross-on-Wye Gin Pear 2021 – Adam’s review

Very sadly the last ever batch of Gin Pear Perry made from Gin grown on the farm

Appearance: Very pale lemon-green. Tiny sparkle (same as all below so I won’t bother mentioning again).

On the nose: Very gentle. As delicate as Gin gets really, and all about herbs and grasses and minerally wet rocks rather than big fruitiness. Electric green pear skin, a touch of juniper. All very beautiful and light and utterly in contrast to everything I’ve said in the intro.

In the mouth: Beautiful and iconically Gin delivery. Lots of tannin; actually quite grippy indeed – wrapping around fronds of fern and limeleaf and juniper and slate. Hard, sharp slices of green pear. There’s actually a grea deal of intensity and vibrancy here. Even a slight mintiness. I love this; beautiful, firm structure with a fruit that I dare say is further heightened by food.

In a nutshell: The cerebral, crystalline, green and mineral face of Gin. Delicate nose and surprisingly plugged-in delivery. A contemplative aperitif and wonderful swan song.

Gin Pear 2021 – Bea’s review 

On the nose: Delicately floral, elderflower, light fermentation character. 

In the mouth: Very light in body but with surprisingly mouth-felting tannin (like sucking chalk, says Barry). A bit saline, grassy, ephemeral. Green tea. The nose evokes more sweetness than the palate delivers. 

In a nutshell: Quite hard to pin down and predominantly green in notes, this perry puts me in mind of fresh dew. 

Ross-on-Wye Bridgewell Orchard 2022 – Adam’s review

A rarely-seen orchard blend of several different varieties from one orchard on the farm.

Appearance: Bright straw gold

On the nose: Another bright and vibrant nose here. Green and gold. Waxy yellow fruits, apple skins, nettles, lemon rind and petrichor. Springtime moves into summer. 

In the mouth: Textural! There’s a fair bit of lemony acidity here but it’s spritzing up against a pretty firm wall of some pithy tannins. Medium bodied. Crisp apple and a little bit of riper stone fruit which grows in the glass and balances the texture deliciously. This is a sibling batch to last year’s Handsome Norman, but it’s much more textural; not quite the easygoing summer sipper – though you could, and it has plenty of fruit, but I suspect better with food.

In a nutshell: A textural, sinewy, yellow-fruited cider perfect for pairing with proteiny foods.

Bridgewell 2022 – Bea’s review 

On the nose: Apricot, something vinous, beeswax. Very delicate nose.  

In the mouth: Soft mouthfeel, gentle tannin. The flavour is mostly bitter, a bit like orange pith, but it’s balanced with acidity. Yellow plum. 

In a nutshell: A very brassy, golden flavour with great lightness and a bone-dry moreishness. 

Ross-on-Wye Moorcroft 2022 – Adam’s review

First single variety of this excellent pear I’ve had from the Ross team. (Going back many years they did do others).

Appearance: Pearlescent pale Gold with a touch of green

On the nose: Ripe, juicy, almost jellied nose. Nods in the tropical direction of Moorcroft – a green tropicality, ripe melon, very faint pineapple and a big ripe pear. White grape. Slightly floral in a tropical flowers sense too. Heady, summertime, very alluring perry.

In the mouth: It’s absolutely lethal that this is 8.2%. It’s far too easy to drink! Delicious, full-bodied, super juicy, super soft delivery that follows the aromas fantastically. There’s a nibble of ripe citrus acidity – somehow somewhere between tangerine and lime! Plus a tiny touch of tannin scaffolding that huge melony, grapey centre and a long, long finish. This is a superb perry.

In a nutshell: A beautiful, very complete realisation of a classic pear variety. 

Moorcroft 2022 – Bea’s review 

On the nose: White wine, gooseberry jam, white blossoms. 

In the mouth: Off-dry with big honey notes. Creamy stone fruits. Rhubarb and custard sweets. Slightly chewy texture. Yum!

In a nutshell: A honeyed, floral sipper that doesn’t feel at all like 8.2%. 

Ross-on-Wye Hagloe Crab 2022-2023 Oak Cask – Adam’s review

Appearance: Lightly hazy green gold

On the nose: A seam of maritime smoke drifts upwards, carrying with it a vibrant spritz of lemon and lime. Seashells, oysters, windswept clifftops, with a riper centre of melon and possibly the tiniest touch of pineapple. This is a nose for those who love the likes of young Caol Ila.

In the mouth: I love the marriage of acid and peat and it’s beautifully rendered here through pronounced lemon, Fino sherry, seashore, hessian and driftwood. Again that touch of something more melony and round is reaching out and touching a sharper, almost pithy white grapefruit. I love this. It’s a cider for drinking outdoors, evocative, youthful, vibrant, electric stuff.

In a nutshell: A windy early autumn walk with a splash of citrus, sight of the sea and the memories of a campfire. I utterly adore this.

Hagloe Crab 2022-2023 Oak Cask – Bea’s review 

On the nose: Pineapple and lemon rounded off by the oak cask. Peat wafting past on a sea breeze.

In the mouth: Even more oak cask rounding out the palate. Lemony without being overly acidic. Lightly peaty; less so than on the nose. Lightly bitter finish. 

In a nutshell: Quite voluptuous for a Hagloe, although still bright and acid-led. 

Ross-on-Wye Foxwhelp 2022 Oak Cask – Adam’s review

Appearance: Rich Gold

On the nose: A far richer style of peat, which meshes with the red fruits of Foxwhelp into something that is both vibrantly fruity, and ripe in its peat but also reaches out and touches something rootier, earthier, almost nudging into game jus. The red fruits feel almost stewed as well as electrically fresh and the peat is very much of the fulsome ‘scent on the night air’ variety. Absolutely sensational nose.

In the mouth: Phenomenal delivery. Enormous, yet pointed, immensely rich and ruddy in its strawberry and raspberry, but also dried pink grapefruit entwine with rich heathsmoke, old wood, spice and those rich, gamey, turfy nuances. Just a little nibble of tannin that lends a little roundness rather than angularity. Acidity is significant but this has so much body and flavour and depth that it finds, in its immensity, a beautiful equilibrium. God, this is so good.

In a nutshell: A perfect marriage of ultra-ripe Foxwhelp and a glorious peated barrel. I’m buying a case.

Foxwhelp 2022 Oak Cask – Bea’s review 

On the nose: Medicinal peat, very green, underripe strawberries dusted in ash. 

In the mouth: Somehow, the acid and the smoke mesh really well and enhance each other. At first it’s really smoky, then the acid wins out, almost making your tongue fizz. Big apple juice vibes, including in texture. Lots of red currant. Quite ashy finish, with the fruity bitterness of cocoa nibs. This is a lot of fun. 

In a nutshell: If you don’t like acid or peat, this will unsurprisingly not be for you. If you do, this is quite the experience. 

Ross-on-Wye Flakey Bark 2022 Oak Cask – Adam’s review

Appearance: Rich, brassy copper

On the nose: It’s instantly Flakey Bark, but it’s the richest, glossiest, most luxurious Flakey Bark you’ve ever tried. That burly, gamey, borderline rancio meatiness and almost wet, mossy stump character is there, but it’s lavished with honeys, syrups, overripe pear. There’s earth, there’s petrichor, it is, as always, just enormous and so, so evocative. The barrel has been virtually absorbed here – merely heightening the inherent Flakey Barkishness.

In the mouth: Gigantic Flakey Bark delivery. Huge body, notable sweetness, and blockbusting, enormously fulsome tannins. Otherwise, whilst it follows the nose, it’s the syrups, the honeys, the overripe fruits, almost the caramels that have the lead. Mango and apricot juice. Earth and rock and root. Again, barrel just consumed by the pear, only adding gloss to what exists already. A huge, sonorous bass rumble of a perry that will absolutely not be for everyone, but it is absolutely for me.

In a nutshell: There’s just no perry like Flakey Bark and this might be my favourite Flakey Bark ever.

Flakey Bark 2022 Oak Cask – Bea’s review 

On the nose: At first, it smelled very sweet, vinous, and rosy, like a Sauternes, but gradually a juicy cider apple-like smell takes over. Caramelised pear, woodland floor, cedar chest. This is very inviting.

In the mouth: An innocent start of pear caramel and sweet, oaky tannin, but then the unmistakable Flakey Bark tannin hits! It contracts the tongue, felts the mouth, and boggles the mind. It’s like you’ve eaten the bark and leaves along with the pears. You gotta love it. 

In a nutshell: An undeniably special drink — crazy tannin and concentrated sweetness in perfect harmony. The oak barrel takes this to a new level.

Ross-on-Wye Ashton Brown Jersey & Dabinett 2022 Oak Cask – Adam’s review

Appearance: Polished brass

On the nose: The in-inverted-commas ‘fruitiest’ yet, even more so than the Moorcroft. A melange of jellied, jammied and totally fresh orange, mango, apricot and even passion fruit with vanilla, blood orange and some black tea leaf. Thick cut marmalade, pith and all. An unbelievably comforting bittersweet nose.

In the mouth: Plush, ripe, bombastic, orangey-tropical delivery. Tannins at the back end are assertive and do get a fair bit bitter and pithy, but before that is just a wave of fresh orange, black tea, apricot jam, ripe mango, cloves, red apple skin, vanilla pod and more orange marmalade. So much ripe, juicy fruit. This is a cider at the start of a long, happy journey. Those tannins want food right now, but squirrel a couple of bottles of this away and open them from 2026.

In a nutshell: A bombastic fruit and tannin bomb with a long and lovely life ahead of it.

Ashton Brown Jersey & Dabinett 2022 Oak Cask – Bea’s review 

On the nose: Like smelling the cork fresh out of a bottle of red wine. Rosehip, raisin, carrot. 

In the mouth: Somewhat austere in its profile. None of the juicy notes from the nose follow through. Dusty spice, wax, and big, mouth-filling bittersweet tannin. It’s almost ashy. Almost no acidity. 

In a nutshell: Intriguing — loads of bitterness, without the mouth-changing texture of some tannins. Quite a wintry drink. 

Raison d’Être 2022 – Bea’s review 

On the nose: Apple skin and grainy flesh, charred orange peel, clove, distant campfire by the sea.

In the mouth: Not as juicy as I think of Raison as being – lower acidity; higher bitterness. Gummy, rubbery peat. Real woodiness and earthiness. If there’s fruit, it’s more peach than orange here. 

In a nutshell: Less fruit than previous Raisons, but full of a depth that keeps you coming back for more. I can’t wait to try this again in the months and years to come.

Adam’s Conclusions

I thought last year was my favourite set of Ross-on-Wye Festival Releases, but this time there’s no doubt. Easily my all time favourite festival outturn. So much flavour, intensity, complexity, diversity of flavour; so many bottling pulsing with heart and in many instances, like the Gin Pear for instance, coursing with soul and poignancy. Peering at Bea’s notes I’m pleased to see were more or less in line, and that I’m not completely losing the run of myself.

My top three are Raison d’Être, the Foxwhelp and the Flakey Bark, and I’ll be taking a case of each. But I love and will be buying multiples of all eight. Congratulations to all involved in making them, and to those of you at the festival, have a wonderful next few days.