Some ciders and perries are naturally restrained, withholding of their aroma and taste until that perfect sweet spot of temperature and oxygenation have combined to release whatever subtle compounds you, the drinker, are about to encounter. Others are bombastic flavour deities that speak IN CAPS LOCK and pour out their heart and soul into the glass for all to experience. I guess in this respect, ciders and perries are much like human beings! Here then, we have a delectable selection of new perries (and one less new) from the brilliant 99 Pines – now to be found residing in the hallowed grounds of the National Perry Pear Collection, Hartpury.

In early Spring 2024, 99 Pines’ Phil Kester invited Albert & Becky (of Ross Cider) and myself to an early tasting of his releases for this year. The previous season’s wares were all but sold out, and in a progressively chilly barn (as the sun had set, and it was still early Spring in the UK) we were treated to taste through sample after sample from speidel fermentation vessels, all adorned with handwritten labels announcing a Gin here, a Moorcroft there. One even said Cowslip – not a variety I’d experienced in the glass before. As darkness descended, the sound of barn owls screeching outside mingled with the misty whisps of perry-scented breath in the barn. It was a memorable evening!

The ebb and flow of producers harvesting from fruit trees in this region of Herefordshire is thankfully more stable these days it would seem. When one person decides to hang up their panking pole for good, another steps in the fill their spot. Whilst I never got to try anything from Chris at Ragged Stone Cider & Perry, I’m very pleased to hear that Phil at 99 Pines is taking on the picking and pressing of a number of the orchards that Chris used to visit. These perry pear trees, when allowed to keep standing in fields and hedgerows, operate on such a different timescale to each generation of perrymaker. We humans are incredibly lucky to make it to three digits, these trees are only getting started at the big 100! It feels a privilege therefore to see the transition of one producer to the next in a particular orchard -so it is with Phil, the stage is his to now showcase all the wonderful things these rare varieties of perry pears can bring to the table.

That particular visit to Phil in Spring 2024 led to a very fun excursion en-route to Ross Cider Festival this year: picking up 10 boxes of his new releases and acting as the perry mule to bring them to the grassy car park at Broome Farm, whereupon they would be transferred to Cat In The Glass’s Nicky’s car. Such is the personal, and happy to help attitude in the world of cider and perrymakers and merchants at this scale in the UK in 2024. All this is to say the bottles will shortly be arriving on sale for everyone to delve into and experience (over to you on that front Nicky). In the interests of clarity I purchased all the new bottlings directly from Phil, with the 750ml bottle of Taynton Squash bought from the windowsill of a charming little deli in Newent.

Adam: [Elbowing his editorial way in] I recently had the pleasure of seeing Phil at Hartpury myself, as part of the tour to promote and sell The Thing. He kindly passed on a selection of his 2023 perries and, knowing Jack was lining up these reviews, I asked if I could ride shotgun, to which he kindly assented.

Always a pleasure to taste Phil’s wares; a producer who seems to be rapidly growing in assurance in a short while. And an extra pleasure to taste perries from someone who has made the rare decision to specialise in the drink. (As he should, being based on May Hill itself).

As mentioned, my bottles were generously passed on as samples; mentioned in the name of full disclosure, but such things don’t influence our reviews – at least consciously, but everyone’s influenced by something or another I suppose, whether or not things are free. I don’t have all the samples Jack’s written up, but I’ve covered a few in the past. Anyway, blah blah, get on with the writeup Wells, you litigious bore.

99 Pines, Taynton Squash Perry – Jack’s review

Reviewed by Adam in October 2023, so will be interested to see how it’s changed in the bottle over the year.

How I served: A day in the fridge, then 15 mins out the fridge. This bottle had been in the window of a deli in Newent for a year but is super sold out from last year, so I couldn’t resist.

Appearance: The cold crashing that the fridge has bestowed upon the bottle has worked a treat! Sediment to the bottom, clear juice. Light sparkle when popping the cap (a good sign) keeps the sediment mostly at the bottom of the bottle too. Overripe lemon skin colour.

On the nose: Grated lemon skin rind, elderflower spritz. Leaning towards an altogether lovely Summer sipper aromatics.

In the mouth: Crème Brûlée (the top part that gets blowtorched ooo la la). Somewhere between key lime pie and crème brûlée after a few sips. Roasted lemon, that’s it! Slight nettle and borage aftertaste. Super soft tannins around the side and roof of the mouth, tiny bit of astringency. The 7.6% abv is carrying lots of interesting flavours on its boozier back.

In a nutshell: Hello Taynton Squash (early or late variety), good to get to know you. A perfect foil for a fishy summer BBQ.

99 Pines Cowslip & Moorcroft Blend 2023 – Jack’s review

How I served : A day in the fridge, then 20 mins warming up in the sitting room (it’s raining today – in a Scott Walker accent).

Appearance: Metallic lemon sheen, super clarity (the sediment has cold crashed beautifully and is holding in the bottom of the bottle), light effervescence with a small mousse around the rim of the glass.

On the nose: Honeysuckle bordered meadow. Tropical notes coming through from the Moorcroft. A slight buttery, incense whisp, which is not something I’ve picked up on before. Clean notes abide.

In the mouth: There’s the lime! Hello! It was hiding on the nose but it’s here in spades in the mouth. It’s lime cordial but at 4.8%abv and with the sweetness dialled down a notch to a medium dry finish. As it warms to room temperature, there’s a sour lime bonbon note, which becomes a sugar barley boiled sweet mouthcoating goodness . I’m guessing this is the Cowslip bringing these notes as it’s not something I totally recognise from Moorcroft perries. The Cowslip variety is listed as Extant in Charles Martell’s Pears of Gloucestershire, but from what I’ve read, it’s only just about extant. Good that Phil is using it in his perries!

In a nutshell: A blend you’ll have never tried, featuring one A-lister of the perry pear scene and one super interesting, near-unknown Perry pear.

Adam’s review

How I served: Chilled

Appearance: Pale Sauvignon Blanc. Light fizz.

On the nose: Lovely, vibrant, spritzy aroma. Almost Thorn-ish; elderflower and lime and meadow flowers and grass and that scent you get around fast-flowing streams of fresh water over greenery. Springtimey, mineral and fresh. Lovely stuff.

In the mouth: Vibrant, vivid delivery that closely follows the nose but amps up the citrus and ripeness with touches of lemon and tangerine and even white grape. The florals here are less elderflower and more blossom and lily petal, but that spritz and minerality and greenery remainn marvellous mainstays. Feels like a very grownup Shloer, but less sweet. There’s a blast from the past – and a very nice one.

In a nutshell: A super, vibrant, green-hued perry to bring the sunshine back with.

99 Pines Moorcroft 2023 – Jack’s review

How I served: Day in the fridge, 20 mins at room temperature.

Appearance: Winter egg yolk yellow. Crystal clear clarity. The lightest effervescence (there was a hiss as the cap was popped). No real mousse to speak of.

On the nose: There you are Moorcroft! Leather, library stacks of books, undisturbed wood pile, autumnal vibes. I’m going to go down a very specific aroma here, it’s reminding me of reading in Cambridge University Library upstairs a few floors at the front looking out towards Clare College – the smell of old hardback bookcloth bound books, scribbled ink notes for essays, quiet contemplation. Who knew at that time, this was the aroma? Bottle Eau du Moorcroft and you have that aroma.

In the mouth: Super tropical, pineapple cubes, quite sour, blackberry crumble, wistful. 5.1% abv carrying the flavours well. On the drier end of a perry, soft tannins, no particular astringency.

In a nutshell: If they let you drink perry in big old libraries, this would be the one to bring to the reading room.

Adam’s review

How I served: Lightly chilled

Appearance: Deepest of the set. Lustrous gold.

On the nose: Phil always seems to go very ripe with his Moorcroft and so he has again here; lots of caramel and vanilla and very ripe tropical fruit syrup. A little mulchy autumn leaf. I wonder actually if this as actually gone a little too far? There’s a slight solventy fug of ethyl acetate. Just a touch, but it’s something I’m on the sensitive side to.

In the mouth: Ditto. Plenty to like – has the Moorcroft double-act of super-ripe citrus and juicy tropical fruit (mango in this case), with a side-helping of greenhouse-warmed tropical blooms. But it feels held back from full clarity of fruit expression by that solventy acetate note. The weight of fruit means it masks much of the acetate – many I’m sure will love it. It’s just not my favourite.

In a nutshell: Almost a very good Moorcroft, just a little rough around the edges for my tastes.

99 Pines Moorcroft 2021 – Jack’s review

How I served: Day in the fridge, 20 mins on the sitting room coffee table.

Appearance: Lemon water, light sunlit gold. A trickle of minute bubbles. Again, brilliant clarity.

On the nose: Stewed pears, ripe pineapple chunks, hazelnut (well the rind bit on the nut inside the shell), lemon turkish delight.

In the mouth: Juicy stewed pear flesh, that element of hardback bookcloth bound books again (smell the hardback version of Charles Martell’s Pears/Apples of Gloucestershire and you’ll agree with me). Soft, pillowy tannins, medium dry. Higher abv than its 2023 counterpart, coming in at 6.4% abv this time.

In a nutshell: Slightly more subdued delivery of flavour and aroma than the 2023 vintage. Well worth a punt still!

99 Pines Gin – Jack’s review

How I served: Day in the fridge and then 20mins out on the shelf.

Appearance: Electric yellow, light effervescence, thin rim of mousse around the top of the glass. Top notch clarity.

On the nose: Herbal pear drop, little bit subdued at first. Let’s see how it opens up after a while. (10mins pass) Ah there’s this lovely wisps of incense aroma in the background that develops. Very pleasant. I think this is quite a common aroma with perry.

In the mouth: Lemon & Lime refresher sweets, mild tannin on the roof of the mouth feels like a sherbet powder-like texture. 5% abv. Clean citric acid and vanilla delivery. Slatey minerality. Fairly quick dry finish.

In a nutshell: Textbook clean, approachable gin perry. Ticks every box.

Adam’s review

How I served: Chilled

Appearance: Lightly hazy, lightly spritzy lemon’n’lime

On the nose: Has the herbal woodland greenery, fine-grained definition and fresh minerality I love in Gin Pear perries. Lime, grass and gooseberry. The part of a kiwi closest to the skin. Juniper, seashell and moss. Detailed without being billowing in its aromatics, a quality that I always look for in this pear.

In the mouth: Surprisingly big delivery. Good acidity; lots of fresh, green citrus. Leaf, cut grass, dried herbs, even fresh mint leaf and a pronounced maritime salinity lead to a rather winey finish, by which I’m talking a certain style of Spanish white wine – Verdelho, perhaps Godello. Fantastically refreshing dry perry.

In a nutshell: Possibly my pick of the crop. The vibrant, detailed face of Gin. Lovely example of the variety – go long.

99 Pines Blakeney Red – Jack’s review

How I served: Day in the fridge. 20 mins to acclimatise to room temperature.

Appearance: Ever so slight haze to the liquid with a good effervescence bubbling up in the centre. Mousse around the rim of the glass, but bubbles are bigger than other from the other 99 Pines bottlings (bigger CO2 bubble, not sure what that means?). Pastel orange verging on peach with a faint red blush.

On the nose: Aromatic juicy squash/cordial syrup nose. Rose Turkish Delight. Raspberry jam. A fruity, rich aroma.

In the mouth: Juicy explosion, spicy undertones, dry but that juiciness masks the lack of residual sugar – it’s dry but it’s tricking you into thinking otherwise. 6.5% abv. Mild tannins and a soft astringency on the side of mouth. An overripe, slightly crushed strawberry note, long finish after every sip. Goodness me, so much flavour here! Why would you ever reach for a Rekorderlig or Koppaberg when you could have this?!

In a nutshell: You can see why this is the least “at risk” perry pear variety in the UK! The jobbing, reliable, Dabinett-equivalent of the perry pear world?

99 Pines Oldfield Reds Blend 2023 – Jack’s review

How I served: Day in the fridge but to be honest it was so chilly I could have just kept it on the windowsill for a barn temperature beverage.

Appearance: Straw gold, nice little effervescence in the middle of the glass, loads of sediment in the bottom of the bottle so I poured very carefully and it’s come out with great clarity. Not much in the way of a red influence, but there may be more Oldfield and Gin, than Blakeney Red and Aylton Red in the blend.

On the nose: Wax jacket and rubber wellington boots, I think I usually get this from Oldfield. A smoked and roasted lemon undertone hiding behind all that autumnal outdoor attire aroma! As it warms up I’d even say a slight petrol note.

In the mouth: Lime soda, leaves a slightly chalky sensation in the mouth, mild tannins. Herbal, borage and nettle. On the drier end of 5.4% abv.

In a nutshell: Cold crash the sediment in the fridge and pour carefully – you’ve then got yourself a lovely blended perry!

Adam’s review

How I served: Chilled

Appearance: Clear pale straw

On the nose: Very Oldfield in that dovetail of honeyed minerality, though I definitely feel the presence of the ‘Reds’ adding soft, juicy melon and ripe pear. Such a pleasant, soft, fruity and easygoing nose in the best possible way. A very classic Three Counties blend aroma, of a type I love to encounter.

In the mouth: Same story on the palate; floral, honeyed, lots of canteloupe and honeydew and blossom, but lent poise and complexity by that slatey minerality and a little green leaf and lime pith. Could happily drink this through a sunny afternoon, and indeed the day I saw Phil at Hartpury that’s just what I did.

In a nutshell: A great Three Counties blend that cleverly marries charm and complexity.

99 Pines Thorn 2023 (6%) – Jack’s review

How I served: Day in the fridge, 30mins at room temperature.

Appearance: Pale lemon lime hue. Great clarity, the merest hint of effervescence.

On the nose: Lemon barley sweets, slight biscuity aroma. As it warms, a salted caramel note.

In the mouth: It’s all lime and vanilla ice cream! Delicious dry arrival, lingering aftertaste. Lemon meringue in a glass, maybe make that Key Lime Pie. Can it be both? At 6% abv the alcohol is carrying the flavours across wholeheartedly.

In a nutshell: Insert your favourite citrus and cream dessert in a glass. Delicious!

Adam’s review

How I served: Chilled

Appearance: Similar to the Gin but with a little more gold

On the nose: Unusual for Thorn. Not so much of the typical lime and elderflower, though there’s lots of green leaf. There is a little very ripe fruit, but I’m afraid it’s rather masked by ethyl acetate – this is a bit gluey/peardroppy for my taste.

In the mouth: Same story on the palate. Some vibrant freshness, some lemon, some passionfruit, but it’s overridden to my taste by that solventy ethyl acetate. Just clags up the fruit a bit for me.

In a nutshell: Not my favourite Thorn or 99 Pines – a rare miss, in my experience.

Jack’s Conclusions

I think I’ve delved into more perry this month than ever before, and it’s still only scratching the surface of what’s out there. The growing stature of 99 Pines and its commitment to single variety releases, or blends with all the varieties disclosed on the label, is a welcome addition to the UK perry scene. If you’ve had the pleasure of reading Charles Martell’s Pears of Gloucestershire book and found yourself wondering what each specific variety tastes like, Phil’s new-found position at the National Perry Pear Centre in Hartpury has just made that quest a little easier to complete. Perhaps one day a single variety from every pair of trees in the orchard Phil? It’s not just from that orchard that Phil picks from of course. The trees in his bit of the country are lucky to have him there – reconnecting that link that all-too-often gets severed between tree, fruit, drink, and consumer.

He reminds me of Jessica at Three Saints in that they are both perrymakers first, with a smaller amount of cider made in Jessica’s case. He also reminds me of Albert at Ross Cider, both display a love for showcasing the idiosyncrasies of as many perry pear varieties and their qualities in the glass as possible – an opportunity not afforded by all that many producers if we’re being honest. Knowledge is power as they say, and to be able to identify and pick apart the flavour profiles of a Moorcroft compared to a Thorn perry, allows us to make more informed decisions as drinkers going forward.

I think what I really like here is knowing that Ragged Stones’ Chris may have stepped back from production, but seamlessly, without missing a season, 99 Pines’ Phil has stepped in and the trees they pick from won’t know any different (I like to think the trees in the orchards care about those that care for them). Seek these bottles out when your next pay check arrives – perhaps you’ll be transported to a library, dessert tray, meadow’s edge, or somewhere else completely different within the realms of your own olfactory senses!

Adam’s Conclusions

Though the Thorn and the Moorcroft weren’t my favourites of the day, there was much in this flight to love (the Gin and Oldfield blend in particular), and I remain a big fan of what Phil is doing. Tremendous to see him ensconsed in the National Perry Pear Centre – a place I was long overdue visiting – and I’ve no doubt he’ll continue to go from strength to strength. Hie thee to Hartpury, perry fans. (Though I dare say that, unlike me prior to the other week, most of you already have).