The Cheeky Grog Co – Secret Seven

Cheeky Grog Co have a secret. 7 secret apples go in The Cheeky Grog Co Secret Seven Cider. All grown on the river flats of the Goulburn and Murray regions of Victoria. Nobody outside Cheeky HQ in Bunbartha, Victoria knows what goes into it.

I tried asking the Cheeky chaps what goes into this cider. These guys are more secretive than Colonel Sanders. All they would tell me is that the apples are traditional cider varieties. The primary ferment happens in the barrel where it’s got plenty of time to rest on a bed of lees.

The Secret Seven Cider is finished off by being conditioned in the bottle. That means that the last little bit of sugar in the bottle is eaten up by the last of the yeast cells giving a natural fizz in the cider.

The Nose

Very sweet and fruity, dark cherry. Although there are French and English apples in Cheeky Grog Co’s Secret Seven, it seems like the Pommy pomes are contributing much more to the perfume than the French ones.

The Taste

There isn’t much sugar left behind but that doesn’t mean sweetness is absent. There is enough big bold fruity pop to make you think a sweeter drink, it’s near tropical. The Secret Seven has that wonderful foamy mouthfeel as it froths when you take a sip. As the foam dies back it reveals waves of French and English cider apples. These don’t seem as bright as your traditional Aussie apple mix of Gala, Pink Ladies and Granny Smiths, darker is the best way of describing it I can think of.

The tail ends with a slight hint of bitters and a dash of chalky tannins.

Final Thoughts on the Secret Seven Cider

The Secret Seven’s foamy texture and fruity punch makes for a very moreish cider. I really like the hit of fruit. It proves that to get a big fruity flavour it doesn’t need to be 10% sugar like some other ciders on the market.

For a cider company that doesn’t take itself too seriously they sure are making some good ciders lately. The Secret Seven Cider is, as the Colonel says, “Finger licking good”. Don’t stick your fingers in your cider. Seriously what’s wrong with you.

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