Aspall Cyder

Aspall Suffolk Cyder has only ever been made with the fresh pressed juice of whole apples. For 8 generations, the use of concentrates to stretch fermentations has never been part of the Aspall philosophy and continues to be a complete anathema to the family.

Made with the finest raw materials and with painstaking care and attention to detail, our cyder is one of the finest drinks available and deserves recognition as such. It was with this thought in mind that we decided to re-launch what was then available only in the local market to a broader audience.

In the process, we played with many different blends of fruit; from astringent heavy tannin cider apples such as Medaille d’Or through to dessert and culinary fruit like Cox and Bramley. During this process it became evident that no single apple carried the necessary constituent properties to give a truly well-balanced cider – Cox was light and delicate but lacked depth; Bramley had strong apple esthers on the nose but was too sharp to drink; and Medaille d’Or and other traditional ‘bittersweet’ varieties had bundles of character, but were too overpowering.

We concluded that blended was best. This way, we can capture the best that each apple provides – Cox for sweetness, Bramley for acidity and apple aroma, and finally, a combination of bittersweet apples to give a heady perfume, body and a depth of finish.

The finished article is not as founder of the business Clement would have made in 1728. Clement would have produced a cider with heavy tannic and bittersweet tendencies that would have appealed to his personal delectation. We may not have followed his blend, but we did follow his philosophy of making a cider we were both excited to drink and proud to sell.

Given the quality of this product, it was imperative that the packaging reflected the contents and stood out as a genuinely premium offering. Throwing all practical thoughts out of the window, we decided to use a replica of a bottle that was used by our Great Grandfather J B Chevallier in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The bottle had a long thin neck and was reminiscent of a wine bottle. Most importantly, it gave the premium image the contents of the bottle merited.

The first bottle of the re-vamped Aspall Suffolk Cyder was delivered in 2000.

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