BURROW HILL CIDER

Apples are the starting point for both our cider and apple brandy, we believe it is vital to know their origins. All the apples we ferment come from Somerset, the majority from our own orchards. We grow more than 100 varieties of vintage cider apples such as Brown Snout, Stoke Red, Harry Masters and the legendary Kingston Black. We also grow 20 varieties of perry pear. The art of blending different types of fruit is key to the craft of cider making and distilling.

It has long been recognised that England has three 'vintage' cider apple areas where the soil and climate creates apples of a superior quality. The terroir of the orchards around the farm is recognised as one of these three unrivalled vintage areas. The other two areas, Wedmore and Baltonsborough are also in Somerset – the heart of the England's artisan cider world.

‘Pass Vale Farm at Burrow Hill near

Martock in Somerset, we decided, is the

Domaine de la Romanée Conti of cider.’

Financial Times

Burrow Hill draught cider is poured directly from the barrel and is flat and traditional. Our Burrow Hill sparkling is a lightly carbonated cider that is a blend of at least eleven varieties of vintage apples. It is moreish, complex and balanced. Cider Bus cider is slightly sweeter, a bit lighter, crisp and refreshing and Burrow Hill perry is made entirely from our perry pears and is dry and delicate.

At Burrow hill we also make two single variety bottle fermented ciders and a bottle fermented perry. This cider undergoes a secondary fermentation within the bottle in order to gain tiny bubbles. It is then matured for a minimum of three years in our cellars before the yeast is removed and it is ready to drink.  

‘The man behind Burrow Hill Cider also pioneered Somerset Cider Brandy. Over the past three decades Julian Temperley has done more than anyone else in Britain to develop classy drinks from homegrown apple juice.’

The Financial Times

Our Ice Cider is a very unusual cider. Juice from a secret blend of apples is frozen, then the ice is removed. The remaining, concentrated, juice is then fermented in small oak barrels. This gives the resulting 11.5% abv cider an intense and unique flavour that combines the bitter-sweet and bitter-sharp qualities found in traditional vintage apples.

"'A genuinely innovative drink, a real find.' 'looks like Palo Cortado sherry, smells like Calvados, tastes like a cider pudding', 'brilliant tannins, layers of flavour with soft apple embrace'. 'Ice Cider is great on its own but should be on the shelf of every cocktail bar in London as a serious contribution to mixology'"

The Financial Times

SUSTAINABILITY

"Cider has been made in England since ancient times, the skills to make it brought here with the Norman invasion. The terroir, the ecology and climate around Kingsbury Episcopi and Burrow Hill lends themselves so naturally to fermenting apples"

 Rose Prince

Cider Brandy is demonstrably the most sustainable brown spirit in the world when made from apples grown on traditional orchards. It uses less water and less energy than comparable spirits and orchards are a priority habitat because of their huge environmental benefits. Burrow Hill Cider and The Somerset Cider Brandy Company’s vision is long term, sustainable and small. Our ultimate goal is to protect and grow the farm's unique and biodiverse environment.

Our traditional orchards take 15 years longer to grow than the average commercial orchard and yield less, but they require no insecticide or nitrogen input. Our ancient orchards house many owls, buzzards, bats, woodpeckers and song birds as well as all the invertebrates.

In the autumn we leave the last of our crop for the starlings and fieldfares and each year we plant oaks, hedges and wild flowers as well as new orchards. We also grow Morello cherries, plums, elderflowers and lavender on the farm. The lavender attracts bees and is distilled for its essential oils.

In 2023 we became a net exporter of energy through our solar panels. Whilst we still use some energy from the grid in winter months overall we generate more than we use. Our waste water from pressing and distilling is treated and spread back on the land and the remnants of the pressed apples, known as ‘pomace’ is used to feed wildlife.

In 2003 The Somerset Cider Brandy company became part of the Slow Food Movement. This recognises our commitment to our unique environment.  In our view this is more relevant to our artisan production than the current organic verification system, which has not evolved to meet new challenges and does not take into account the carbon cost of foods.