Thatchers Gold cider review (8/10) – “Well balanced, full-flavoured, with an eye-catching can. More dryness and apples though please”.
The Good
” Competitive price, and eye-catching packaging”.
” Well balanced carbonation, acidity and sweetness”.
” Full-flavoured as advertised with some dryness”.
” Wholesome mouth-feel”.
The Bad
” Foul smell”.
“Dying aftertaste and limited dryness”.
” Natural fruitiness lacking slightly”.
” Limited complexity of flavour”.
Packaging
As a member of the Thatchers’ family, we may expect a medium-dry cider, rooted in the Somerset countryside. The blurb affirms this, adding the words “refreshing” and “full of flavour”. I would expect then, a good mouth-feel with limited wateriness. I would expect some level of dryness, and to taste some typical Somerset apples. Namely varieties such as Dabinett. Whilst no specific varieties are named, from the vibrant, colourful orchard scene on the can, it is clear to see some bright red apples which resemble Dabinett in colour at least.
Dryness can be accompanied by acidity, although no expectation can be drawn from the packaging alone. As for carbonation level, predictions are also tentative. I would suggest a drink with limited sweetness though, due to typical Somerset ciders which are dry, lacking this a little.
I bring this review from a pleasant sunny day in the east. An Ideal day for a little evening cider tipple. Admittedly, I have previously consumed this drink, but for review purposes, I am trying to keep an unbiased perspective throughout this review.
The can is a 440 ml Thatchers gold cider coming in at 4.8% ABV, providing 2.1 units per can. It began life as a product created in 1904, evolving into the drink it has become today. It’s brother Thatchers’ Haze is a bit weaker at just 4.5%, which is quite typical for Thatchers’ cans, since they often span between 4 and 5 percent ABV. While bottled ciders can touch close to 8%, namely old Rosie at 7.3%, and Warwickshires twisted tree at 7.4%, this is fairly strong for a “canned” drink.
As for practicality, this can size brings you up to £1.88 for 2 cans to reach the top end of the 3-4 do not regularly exceed limit. This is cheaper than twisted tree at £2 to reach this, but is pricier than Weston’s blend no 5. At just 50p per can which provided the limit for just £1. This was also very good quality so no pressure.
Let’s see if Thatchers gold lives up to it’s vibrant packaging and my expectation for a medium dry, fruity cider, lacking a little in sweetness.
Smell
The smell after very limited bubbles was rather unpleasant. It smells almost like something which has decayed or is past it’s sell by date. The smell is rather strong but doesn’t last long although the liquid continues to steadily release this from the fluids’ cusp for a while. This is accompanied by a light crackle.
Taste
After the crackling died down, I took a first sip. After the unpleasant aroma, this was a very welcome surprise. The fluid had a very pleasant level of non-sickly, sweetness. The mouthfeel was confident and the flavour had a nice element of light fruit to it. I say light, since you could still feel sweetness, so this fruit element didn’t overcome that. As for dryness advertised as medium, I would suggest this was a bit of an overstatement if anything. Whilst it did leave my mouth quickly and wasn’t especially moist, the puckering dryness sometimes apparent from a medium, wasn’t there. That said it was on it’s way, with some subtle dryness. As for carbonation, the level was almost perfect. The acidity level was noticeable slightly, but not overpowering, which again was highly pleasant. No aftertaste was noticeable, as is the case with most ciders on their way to dryness. This meant I was left in no way with a sickly feeling, yet a natural lingering impression of Apple would have been preferable.
Summary
Overall, a full flavoured, clever drink with balance. It balances carbonation with sweetness and acidity. The dryness is slightly lacking along with the aftertaste. A rather unpleasant smell though.
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