ABV: 0.5%
Calories per bottle: 140 (28 per 100ml)
David Sheppy is the sixth generation of his family to make cider in Somerset – an area that’s well-renowned for its orchards and its long tradition of cider and perry production. These days, Sheppy’s turn out around ten different types of cider on their site near the picture-perfect Bradford-on-Tone in the south-west of the county.
Their first low-alcohol cider was launched in June 2018. Considering the enormous popularity of cider, cider makers seem to have been slow to realise that there might be demand for ciders for drinkers looking to cut back on the units. Sheppy’s have made up for the wait, mind, by bringing us a top-quality 0.5% cider.
Like the rest of their ciders, it comes in a smart bottle with a nice little image of a horse and dray – a subtle nod to the company’s past. At first glance, it looks kind of pale for a cider. But, to be fair, quite a few commercial ciders seem to be coloured with caramel, and there’s none of that sort of stuff in Sheppy’s drinks.
It’s got the aroma of a good cider, and most importantly, it’s got the taste of a great cider. Our taste testers couldn’t quite agree what they liked about it, but they all liked it. For some, it reminded them of proper farm scrumpy. Others thought it was smoother than that. But everyone agreed, if this was plonked in front of you in the pub, you’d be quite happy to drink it all night.
Five out of five, we say.
