Why you should read: Visited the co-op recently, and wondered if Tillington hills cider is worth a try? Then look no further …
The Good
“Natural flavour”.
“Unique dryness sensation”.
“Strong dryness as promised”.
“Reasonable value”.
“Taste not overpowering”.
“Practical”.
“Good quality bottle design”.
“Some character in smell”.
“Character present, as indicated”.
“Some bitterness”.
“Characterful harshness”.
“Nicely session-able”.
“Nicely persistent aftertaste”.
The Bad
“Inconsistent branding”.
“No backstory”.
“Weak scent”.
“Lack of carbonation”.
“Weak acidity”.
“Minimal sweetness”.
“Mouthfeel too thin”.
“Unbalanced”.
Introduction
With the weekend fast approaching, perhaps it’s time to consider a light tipple, from a good bottle of cider. Certainly for me, today has been an eventful experience… Having taken the train to a nearby town, I enjoyed taking in the sights and delights, of my surroundings. I then travelled all the way home, only to realise my memory stick had fallen out of my wallet in a supermarket, one that had all the necessary information on it, to function as a human being in society … My advice would be not to do that…
Needless to say, I expressed verbally some frustration, using some moderately fruity words, before contacting the store in question, fortunately being able to arrange to collect it. I then hopped on the train to return, and eventually got home. At this point, a drink seemed like a well deserved option.
So today I review Tillington Hills Premium Dry cider. A cider which has been available for a number of years at the Co-op. It’s one I’ve debated reviewing previously, yet life has often got in the way. But not today! No… Here it is!! Finally …
A) Price and practicality
The year of vintage was specified as 2021, on the bottle.
For one bottle, Tillington hills cost £2.19, provided 3 units, from 500ml, of 6% ABV fluid.
3 units hits the lower end of the governments’ “do not regularly exceed” limit for males, and the top end for 2-3 units of the female range; This made the drink nicely practical.
Regarding cost, £2.19 for a stronger cider is similar to many other drinks, and as such was reasonable value, bearing in mind recent price increases.
An example from Waitrose is Leckford estate 2020 vintage, which was identical in strength and volume, and cost just a penny more (Cider reviews below).
B) Brand message
The bottle appeared formal and traditional in appearance, projecting good quality with it’s colour scheme, including shiny gold fonts, and darker colours. The bottle branding appeared to focus on a more traditional appearance. It also sought a quality feel with the descriptor “Irresistible”, used on the bottle front.
Apples used were specified as “British”, with the term “British” also used to describe the cider, in the drinks’ name.
The origin year was listed as 1913, suggesting the apples used have been harvested from the same orchards since then.
For a reasonable length of growing history, it’s somewhat disappointing the “Tillington Hills” brand, lacks a website which is easy to locate on Google. I therefore had to resort to seeking whispers from a commercial British grocery magazine (thegrocer.co.uk), to clarify where the drinks’ apples were derived from… Not a sign of quality… Here, this was clarified as English apples from the Co-op’s fruit farm in Tillington village, Northwest of Hereford, in Herefordshire. Whilst this article provided rumours, that a version of the drink labelled “Reserve”, uses some rare apple varieties for continuing their purpose and preventing their extinction, neither of the 2 names detailed on today’s drink, specify “Reserve”, and the bottle also does nothing to outline this fact. This is potentially a missed branding opportunity, to sell the conservation and character elements of the drink.
The drinks’ name is also quite confusing on the bottle, since the front label calls the beverage “Tillington Hills British Cider”, whilst the rear is labelled as “Tillington Hills Premium Dry Cider”. We go with the latter, since this provides a more detailed picture of what to expect when sampling the drink.
As it stands, all one can do is speculate, with a lack of backstory, and inconsistent drink names.
C) Taste expectations
Other than the vague bottle descriptor of “Irresistible”, the only specific expectation established from the bottle would be: A good level of dryness.
From the bottle branding, I would hope for some character, due to it’s traditional appearance, and some level of complexity, due to it’s quality feel.
Smell
The scent lacked strength, but had some character, with a slightly artificial feel, present on subsequent inhalation’s.
Taste
The drink was barely carbonated, with no obvious fizziness apparent. Flavour was natural throughout, which was a pleasant surprise after the artificial impression created from the drinks’ scent. Taste was moderately strong, with some wateriness to dilute. Flavour therefore wasn’t overpowering, and the drink wasn’t overly filling, so consequently was nicely session-able. However, the wateriness made mouthfeel too thin.
Acidity levels weren’t noticeable, perhaps masked by the strong dryness, building into, and through the aftertaste. Much like acidity, sweetness was barely noticeable, if present at all. With dryness being specified in the drinks’ name, this strength was good to see, albeit it’s strength contributed to the drink not balancing well.
Dryness was a very clear, and noticeable element to the drink. It clung to the mouth, unlike in most drinks. No woodiness or other distinctive elements could be detected, although prior to dryness, some low level bitterness was present. The drinks’ texture had an element of harshness, but this wasn’t artificial, so for the sake of character, this could also be considered positive. Fortunately, these elements provided the character indicated from bottle appearance.
The aftertaste lasted well, continuing with some bitterness, and considerable dryness. This wasn’t unpleasant, suggesting some level of sweetness or acidity.
Summary
“Unbalanced, yet characterful, dry”.
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Sources
New alcohol guidelines: What you need to know – BBC News
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grocer
https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/cider-saves-rare-apples/104085.article
Food for thought
1) State 1 thing you liked about the article above, in the comments section below.
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5) What is your favourite drink and why?
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8) Why was that your favourite moment?
Closing statement
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Tags: #cider, #character, #apple, #picker, #image, #reasonedandseasoned, #reaseaorg, #alcohol, #reviews, #blogging, #2022, #The, #Grocer, #Tillington, #Hills, #premium, #Dry, #Herefordshire #est1913
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Reasonedandseasoned 