Around the counties in 48 (or more) ciders

History of Aspall

Established in 1728, Aspall (via the Chevallier family) were the first to plant large-scale orchards in Suffolk and have been producing their cyder for over 300 years.  The Chevallier family have lived in Aspall for nine generations and with Barry and Henry currently at the helm the family legacy is still going strong.

The original mill and press still stand in the original cyder house from 1728, although have not been used since 1947.  From the early days of the first orchards, there are now 46 varieties of apple grown on the estate with some of the oldest current trees dating back to the 1900’s.  As with the orchards, the production has moved on since the early days and a season’s production a century ago is what can be processed in a day today.

The Aspall Cyder is presented as such, a tradition English cyder on a par with a wine or a port.  The bottle it is presented in is as much a part of this presentation and is one that has a historic standing and still to this day is a key indicator of the Aspall cyder – and what an iconic design it is.

This is a brand that is steeped in history, particularly in terms of the east Anglia cider scene (although it has a strong nationwide standing).

My views

Aspall, in my view, has a very different feel to many other ciders on the market both in visual presentation and taste.  Whilst the varieties are limited (with a view to quality not quantity one assumes) there is a good mix of options.  All of the Aspall cyders are on the lighter end of the spectrum and whilst there is variation among the different blends they are all on the more floral side.  I would say the best word to blanket describe the Aspall range would be delicate.  There are outliers, like the Imperial Cyder which is a richer blend, but as a general rule I view Aspall as a producer of lighter, easy drinking ciders.

In my view, you can’t go wrong with their Premier Cru (the creation of Barry and Henry once they took the helm).  It is on the drier side of things, but retains a lightness to it that makes it an easy drinker with strong flavour – a good option for someone wanting to broaden their cider drinking horizons without wanting to step straight into some of the bolder dry options on the market.

They perhaps lack some offering on the sweeter end of the spectrum for more entry level cider, but this is not an issue in my view as the medium and dry options they have are very palatable and are examples of light options in those categories.

My choices

	Name	ABV	Thoughts
Dry	Premier Cru	6.8%	A strong flavored dry option that retains a good amount of the aromas of the orchard, it is a great option for people wanting to explore drier ciders who are used to a lighter or sweeter option.
Medium	Harry Sparrow	4.6%	A very easy drinking single variety that uses a very floral apple.  It is a great apple for a single as it has a complexity of flavor that brings a lot to the table for all tastes.  It has the floral aroma that fans of medium and even sweet ciders will enjoy with a woodiness of a drier cider.  A great all round performer.
Sweet	N/A	N/A	N/A

Final thoughts

Overall, I feel Aspall represent Suffolk well.  They present their own image and set themselves apart from the competition by focusing on a fine cyder style rather than the cider styles you would expect in the West Country.  They are a great option for people wanting to expand the types of cider they drink and explore the wider cider market outside of the sweeter ciders they may be used to.