Cider distillation has been frequently mentioned throughout the UK’s history.
The Cider Clock
In 1560 just up the road from our farm, the last prior of Montacute Priory left his still and glass collection to his nephew having presumably used them for distilling and drinking Somerset cider brandy. It is likely that puritanical attitudes then caused stills across the West Country to be operated behind a veil of secrecy. During the 1660s the distillation of cider had a resurgence and by 1710 the industry was well-enough established to warrant its own tax bracket.
Then with William of Orange came the plague of cheap gin and the establishment of vast whisky distilleries across the border. Somerset Cider Brandy once again disappeared off the records and behind hedges.
300 years later The Somerset Cider Brandy Company began the process of legally reintroducing this spirit to the UK.
The kind of artisan distilleries accepted as normal in Europe were at the time unheard of in the UK. In 1984 Julian Temperley began the long process of obtaining the UK’s first license. By 1987 he was operating on a museum license with Bertram Bulmer and then finally with the arrival in 1989 of our still Josephine we began to produce Somerset Cider Brandy commercially. Our steady French beauty was joined by Fifi in 1993, a smaller more frisky still and Isabelle came in 2019. Between January and May you can see these 70 year old ladies working their magic at the farm.
Bottles of Somerset Cider Brandy are now found in some of the finest restaurants in the world, evoking all the magic and mystery of the West Country’s proud cider-making and apple-growing traditions.
It takes more than eleven litres of cider to make just one litre of pure apple spirit (eau de vie) and more than 8 tonnes of apples to fill just one small barrel.
It is the apples, the soil and the climate of Somerset which give our Cider Brandy its unique character but the barrels also play a hugely important role in the ageing process. These are carefully selected for the qualities and flavours they impart. In the barrels the spirit mellows and grows richer.
"Julian bought and re-planted orchards, he protected and revived the breeds, he researched and understood the ancient methods and – maddest of all – he took on the monster that was at the time a cartel of distillers, making the first commercial cider brandy in Somerset for over 300 years. He made history, broke the mould and – incidentally – inspired the revolution of artisan distillers"
Rose Prince
Protected Geographical Status
How apt that it has been awarded its own PGI; if ever there was a distilled drink with an identity all of its own - it’s here in Somerset.
Distilled Magazine
In 2011, we joined an elite list of European food and drink producers after being awarded Protected Geographical Indication status in Brussels. Much like our French cousin Calvados we now have a legally protected name.
Currently the use of the term Cider Brandy is not allowed in EU/UK law except for Somerset Cider Brandy. Our PGI recognises the exceptional terroir of Somerset’s cider apple region and each bottle can be traced back to its orchard of origin.
Our PGI shows that Somerset Cider Brandy is always produced in a consistent and traditional manner. It is distilled exclusively from cider produced using only freshly-pressed juice, which must be derived from at least 20 varieties of traditional cider apples grown naturally in Somerset on standard trees. Furthermore, the cider brandy must be distilled, matured in oak for a minimum of 3 years and bottled within Somerset.
LIMITED EDITIONS
Somerset Shipwreck
In 2007, en-route to South Africa, the MSC Napoli was beached off Devon. Its cargo included new, empty Allier oak barrels. Some of the shipwrecked barrels found their way to us, having been protected from the sea by being packed among bibles written in Zulu. The finely grained new Allier oak is what creates the distinctive smoked, oaky taste of Shipwreck.
Somerset Oak
In May 2020, we filled the first ever barrel made of Somerset oak, felled near Cadbury Castle. In 2025, after 5 years in oak we will bottle this barrel. These bottles will have a commemorative label designed by British artist and ceramicist Sally Dennis making an unusual, unique and collectable spirit. It is possible to preorder one of these limited edition bottles.
The Orchard Experiment
In 2022 we were proud to begin a collaboration with Glenfiddich Whisky who age their Orchard Experiment whisky in our Somerset Pomona barrels. The result is a crisp and sweet whisky with a sweet apple finish. We stock both their whisky and our Somerset Pomona in our shop.
Port Finished 10 Year Old
We only have 200 bottles of this ten year old. It has been finished for a year in a barrel that has previously held port for over twenty years.
It has all the charm of our normal Ten Year Old but with an additional elegance. The port barrel gives the brandy a sophisticated sweetness and beautiful balanced ending.
