Porlock Cider

A small family operation on the edge of Exmoor, working with apples grown in Somerset within a short distance of the farm. The stated position is refreshingly blunt: no gimmicks, no bought-in exotic flavours, just what grows in their own fields and gardens. Pressing and blending is handled by a small team who describe themselves, honestly enough, as passionate cider drinkers. Tradition and sustainability get mentioned a lot, and the practice seems to back it up.

The flagship is a sparkling cider, light and refreshing with just a hint of dryness. Beyond that sit the vintages, produced in small amounts each year and dated by harvest, plus a low run of their finest, aged longer and bottled medium-dry and sparkling. The genuinely interesting stuff is shop-only, where they get creative with blending in very limited runs. Worth going in person rather than settling for what turns up elsewhere.