Daylesford Heritage Light

Daylesford Heritage Light has done something obvious but could be the first to do it, they have made a low alcohol cider with proper cider making apples.

There are many reasons to choose a low alcohol beverage. But the choices behind the bar for the discerning drinker are often few and far between – Do you want a shandy or a midi of mass-market mid-strength beer with a cringe-inducing ad campaign? If you want cider, well you will get more fruit from a glass of soda water with a wedge of lime chucked in on top. Daylesford said yeah, nah to that and created the Heritage Light.

The formula is simple 17 classic heritage cider apples, the majority being Bulmers Norman and Dabinett, then ferment it till dry. Next, flash pasteurize it. Now bring down the ABV with a dash of fresh juice and no more than 15% water.

Yes, water, some brands add water to cut costs, others add water to dilute the artificial colours and flavours, Daylesford has done it purely to cut back to the number of standard drinks per bottle, down to 0.8 or 2.7%.

The Nose

We are in for a treat of a thick and rich sweet cider scent. It is full of brown sugar and baked apples. Those warm winter scents are freshened up with a touch of summer stone fruits, think dried apricots.

The Taste

I was thinking this was going to be lightly fermented and therefore a very sweet cider. However, I’m pleasantly surprised at the medium dry taste.

The Heritage Light has a big bold taste of proper cider apples, there is a healthy amount of tannin. This big cider apple hit quickly fades into a long aftertaste of those warm baked apples and brown sugar.

The elephant in the room is, does the water dull the taste? Well, no it doesn’t dull it but there is a hollow point midway through the mouth full. Which, to the average punter that’s ok because they are still recovering from that big tannic hit. This is really only something you can get away with when you start with real and bold apple flavours.

Final Thoughts on Daylesford’s Heritage Light Cider

The poms get the concept of a cheeky bevy on the lunch break, pint, and a ploughmen’s. But if you still need to GSD in the arvo you’re probably wanting something with a little less power than a somerset stain stripper of a cider, but you still want proper flavour you could do a lot worse than a Daylesford Heritage Light

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