Thursday 2 February 2012

Tomos Watkin Taffy Apple Cider


A cider from Wales, this. A cider made in Swansea and purchased in Cardiff at a Tesco. I am a little confused about who actually makes it. Well, I know who makes it, but I have no idea who or what Tomos Watkin is. The producer (well, you have to put your company details on the label) is The Hurns Brewery Co.

So, a little web searching later (just to prove I am no ale drinker) reveals the Tomos Watkins is clearly the trading name for said brewing company. The website is all real ale, plus a cider. Looks the sort of company who should care about their products. Lets try it then.

Its a very pale golden colour (I recorded yellow in my notes), its also very foamy and fizzy and bright. The aroma is pretty faint too - this is starting to sound a little familiar to a certain type of cider, and not the sort of thing that should come from a company who cares about what goes in to their produce.

As expected, the taste is also fairly weak - although there is some tannin and acidity to it, which comes through well. Its all very balanced and safe though.

I would compare this cider to the others in the category - Magners, Bulmers etc. and I ought to make the point that each supermarket has starting adopting a non Magners/Bulmers etc. cider which is pitched in a more 'local' fashion. This has good potential but sadly on many occasions this fails to be any more than a locally produced commodity cider... More full juice ciders please:-)

Just a comment though - this is a company who clearly care about their real ale. Re-looking at the website, their cider page simply says "No ice, no blarney, no gimmicks. Straight from the fridge, chills to the core." So, not much content there, but I would just say this; is it any wonder I am sceptical about ciders and the marketing behind them? 

A score of 50/100 backs up my comments here and puts it well and truly in the middle of things.

2 comments:

  1. The cider is not made in Wales but by a large West Midlands based company - Aston Manor

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    1. I wasn't aware of that... mind you, its not simple to find out! Just looked at the bottle and it says "produced in the uk FOR the Hurns Brewing Co.". Not sure why I didn't notice this before. Normally that indicates that they didn't make it themselves... so I don't fall out with what you are saying. Is there anywhere that proves it (and I will relabel the review)

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