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NOTES
Mike Henney started making cider as a hobby in 1996. At that time, it was 5 gallons fermented in his airing cupboard, but the hobby got a bit out of hand and in 2008 production has reached over 200,000 gallons! (no longer in the airing cupboard). Making cider is a relatively simple process. It starts with the selection of genuine cider apple varieties, the juice of which, when blended, will give a good balance of flavour, acid, tannin and sugar to start with. At Henney’s, the preference is to use a selection of Dabinett, Ashton Bitter, Tremletts Bitter and Yarlington Mill with a small proportion of Bramley. The fruit is chosen from Herefordshire growers and comes from both traditional ‘standard’ orchards and more modern ‘bush’ orchards.
When mature, the cider is ready for bottling. First it is tested for alcohol; on an average year the alcohol will be somewhere between 6% and 7% by volume. Unlike many makers, Henney’s do not add fermenting sugars to the fresh juice or use concentrated juice. This means that the declared alcohol of 6% can be achieved with the minimum of dilution or none at all.
TASTING NOTES
This vintage cider is made from a single year's harvest. It is naturally still and has been only coarsely filtered in order to retain as much flavour as possible. Pours a clear yellow in colour with a small white head. Aroma of band-aid, mustiness, wet leather, wood, and apple. Flavor of band-aid, apple, and earthiness with a dry finish.
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