Thistly Cross 'Whisky Cask' Cider ABV 6.9%

'Scottish Cider, pishhh' was the first reaction I had on seeing this cider. My second was 'but I don't really like cider'. I decided I wanted to try it, though. Having had a number of bottles of cask aged beers recently, I thought I may as well. And I wasn't disappointed. I still don't really like cider, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

Appearance-

The bottle neck emblazoned with a couple of thistles on a blue background, gives that Scottish feel. The cider itself is a pale, clear golden colour. Not very fizzy, just a light carbonation.

Nose-

I thought I could get a slightly smoky smell from this one. It could be from the wooden barrel it was aged in for 6 months. The dryness of this cider, I thought, is also evident from the smell.

Taste-

I did think it seemed medium dry (reinforced by it being written on their website) so not lip puckeringly dry, with a little sweetness. I found it to be quite a complex flavour, but not overly so. This was pleasant for me, as one of the things I don't like usually about cider is that it's a bit sweet...and that's it. You can definitely get a slight woody hit from it, and I found that I could tell there was whiskey involved somewhere in the mix.

Conclusion-

As with most people, when I think of cider I think of Somerset, Dorset or Kent. Sometimes Sweden these days, but not Scottish. As an 'unbeliever' of sorts this wasn't an ideal one for me to write about, and I'm not going to say I was changed to a cider lover by this experience. It was nice though, a bit different, and I do like different!