y family has been in the cider making business, in Glastonbury for four generation so from an early age I was exposed to the art of English cider fermentation.

ecause the key difference between American and English hard cider is in apples used I want to explore this with you. Englishmen have been fermenting fruit and grain for beverages for thousands of years, and we have a very definite attitude about what's right.

f you could get in my car (an Austin Healey 3000) I could, with in two hours, give you a complete tour of all the major cider apple orchids in Somerset county whose sole reason for being is to provide the "dry" apple juice for the fermentation of hard cider.

ong ago we arrived at the conclusion that the Taunton variety was the most desirable, which is why you see so many orchards growing this species. Literally ten's of thousands of tons of Black Taunton's are delivered to the Taunton cider presses every harvest.

t is a source of great pleasure that our friends in America are once again appreciating the unique flavor of authentic English dry hard cider, which as you know is very different from the hard ciders that are fermented in America from sweet apples. This is really the second time in American history that Americans have enjoyed English hard cider, because we exported in great quantities to the colonies before the rebellion.

     ider fermentation accelerated right after the Norman invasion of 1290 and we haven’t been able to stop it since. While there is a wide variety of English cider apples, Taunton's Blackthorn brand, use only the apple with the finest and longest pedigree, the Black Taunton variety...The King of Cider Apples. In the same way the grapes used for making wines are not table grapes, the Black Taunton apple is not the kind of sweet apple you will find in your local produce shops or supermarkets.

  hy is this so important to the quality of cider's flavor. You will be able to confirm what I am telling you by comparing the taste of Taunton's Blackthorn to any American made cider. With Blackthorn there is a delicate yet full fruit flavor that sparkles, and most importantly there is no synthetic after taste.

        ecause of our heritage we have become connoisseurs of apple ciders, in the same way we have become connoisseurs of beers and ales, and that is the elementary point. Even though the manufacturing process has changed and become more modern, from generation to generation, across the span of 35 generations, the masters of the Taunton Cider Guild, have maintained the quality of its classic flavor. We feel very strongly about maintaining the highest artistic standards for a beverage that is so connected to our history.

f you were sitting next to me, here in my office, overlooking the Tor then you too would have the same experience that I have: every time I take a sip of Blackthorn, and relish its subtle vintage flavor I am transported back across the centuries when hard cider was the common beverage at courts, castles, villages, and monasteries. Yes, with only one sip of Blackthorn, I can hear the rushing of the horses, the clanging of swords, the polished armor colliding...and there...over there by the old drooping tree..... is the damsel in distress...and what is that approaching from the west....is it a fire-breathing dragon...?

Yes, Blackthorn Dry Cider is a flavor filled road back in time when men were knights, women were damsels in distress, when there was a dragon behind every tree, and angels and devils where making regular appearances in your local neighborhood, which explains why we English love the flavor of Blackthorn cider.......it is filled with the ancient magic of life.