Jonathan | Cider Says

Review of Whitewood Cider’s Jonathan. I previously tried this on draft (see here). Plus I’ve had their Summer Switchel, Kingston Black Whisky Barrel Aged, Red Cap, Gravenstein Old Fangled Series 2012 Harvest, Gravenstein Old Fangled Series Barrel Aged, Northland, Winesap, Gibb’s Farm, Newtown Pippin, and South Sounder.

Cider: Old Fangled Series, Jonathan (2015 harvest)
Cidery: Whitewood Cider
Cidery Location: Olympia WA
ABV: 6.9%
How Supplied: 750ml bottles
Style: American craft heritage cider from Jonathan apples, sugar added, medium dry

Availability: only in Washington – see here

Cider Description: Jonathan is an early American variety and dates back to the early 1800’s. Whitewood’s Single Varietal Jonathan Cider starts out full up front good acid backbone followed by scant traces of a caramel/butterscotch flavors, and finishes clean with notes of, sour orange, meyer lemon, and citrus flavors.

Cidery Description: Whitewood Cider is the South Puget Sound’s first craft cidery. Officially we are a nano cider and can be hard to locate. Fear not as you’ll be able to find us at the finest bottles shops as well pubs and and restaurants that are the most dedicated to locally made craft cider.

They have a tasting room in Olympia; see here.

Price: ~ $15 ?
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House in Seattle WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: browsing

First Impression: Medium straw yellow hue. Low carbonation. Smells apple-forward.

Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Light bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity. Hints of tannins. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. Notes of juicy apple and lemon with hints of honey and tropical fruit. Quick finish. Low to moderate complexity. Moderate to high apple flavor. High sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity.

My Opinion: I enjoyed it, and so did my husband. Super easy to drink and apple-forward, yet it had a bit of complexity – you can tell it is heritage craft cider.

Most Similar to: a more complex and sessionable version of Portland Cider Perfect 10

Closing Notes: This would make a great introductory craft cider, plus I’d like to see it in a multipack.

Have you tried Whitewood Jonathan? What did you think?

Review of Longdrop’s Over Yonder, from Idaho. I’ve previously tried their Tanager Pear Cider, Vanilla Honey, Derby Canyon, Semi-Sweet, and Electric Cherry.

Cider: Over Yonder
Cidery: Longdrop
Cidery Location: Eagle Idaho
ABV: 6.9%
How Supplied: 22oz bottles (and draft)
Style: American craft cider from Idaho-grown Jonathan apples (single varietal)

Availability: Year round in Idaho, Seattle WA, and Portland OR.

Cider Description: Idaho Jonathan cider. Fresh pressed in Fall.

Cidery Description: The wise chef knows to start with the ingredient, not the recipe. That’s our philosophy as well. We work with a team of local and regional foragers who source ingredients for ciders that respect the seasons. We never use stuff like high fructose corn syrup, or phony colors and flavors. Just Northwest and Idaho grown apples and other of the earth’s goodness. Enjoy.

They will soon have a Cider House in Boise Idaho.

Price: $7.99
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I have tried the other Longdrop varieties available locally, but keep missing this one on draft, so I picked up a bottle.

First Impression: Light straw yellow. Low to moderate carbonation. Smells mild, of sharp apples, honey, and citrus.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Medium bodied. Moderate tartness. High acidity. Low bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Notes of sharp apples, citrus, honey, mineral, and floral. Moderate to long bitter finish. Moderate apple flavor and sessionability. Low to moderate flavor intensity and complexity.

My Opinion: I found this a bit average. There was some bitterness and sharpness I wasn’t expecting from it being made from dessert apples (Jonathans). My favorite part was the honey notes.

Most Similar to: Wandering Aengus Wanderlust

Closing Notes: Longdrop’s Vanilla Honey remains my favorite so far.

Have you tried Longdrop Over Yonder? What did you think?

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: