When you think of hillbillies and alcohol you probably think moonshine. Well Hillbilly Cider is here to set you straight with the Hillbilly 2014 Vintage Apple Cider. Hailing from the Blue Mountains in NSW, this bottle condition cider is far more posh frocks at Royal Randwick than blue denim at NASCAR.

The Hillbilly cider story starts out in Nyngan. For those of you who don’t know where Nyngan is, if you find yourself traveling through outback New South Wales, when you reach the middle of nowhere take the next left, then follow the 100km straight road. This is where Shane; the head cider maker planted a vineyard. As the Vineyard became more successful the couple needed to be closer to Sydney to help sell the wines. They moved to a small farm in Bilpin, which happened to have an apple orchard. Shane quickly turned his wine-making skills to those apples.

Hillbilly have gained a name for themselves and imprinted themselves into the Biplin community by being the main real cider being found in the local pubs

The Vintage Cider was created as a limited release for the Hillbilly fans. The regular Hillbilly varieties are made from apples and pears both from the Hillbilly orchard and other local orchards in Bilpin. The Vintage on the other hand, is made exclusively from apples from the on site orchard.

 

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The Nose

This light golden cider has a rich caramel nose backed by a faithful traditional cider house scent.

The Taste

Complex and refined dry but bright and fruity. Some dry ciders are to be mulled over in the back ground but this is the opposite. It’s bright and fruit forward. Fresh summer fruit salads springs to mind.  Brilliantly spiky bottle, conditioned bubbles give way to a smooth oaked cider. The taste is fleeting with an incredible short finish. This is seriously drinkable cider. The label says Hillbilly are giving a nod to the farmhouse ciders of Normandy, France. Whilst I haven’t had that many ciders from Normandy, it rates pretty well against those I’ve tried.

Final Thoughts on Hillbilly 2014 Vintage Apple Cider

This is the 2014 release made from this seasons apples, it’s only been on the market for 2 weeks. This youthfulness helps give this cider its’ brightness.

Over the last months I’ve unintentionally looked at a few Vintage ciders. While I really liked Spreyton’s and Small Acres Vintage Cider and didn’t have much time for the Pokolbin, this is my pick of the four.

I have a real problem with this cider. It’s served in a 750ml bottle. Which normally I’m a fan of, but one is expected to share such a cider and although this is a perfect cider to share… bugger ’em. I want it all for myself.

Product Hillbilly 2014 Vintage Apple Cider
Company Hillbilly
Sweetness Off Dry
Alc/Vol 9%
Website hillbillycider.com.au
Country of Origin Australia
Region Bilpin, Blue Mountains, New South Wales

Thanks to Hillbilly Cider for providing me with a sample. This didn’t affect my opinions expressed above.

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