private reserve

Woodchuck Private Reserve Barrel Aged Cherry

cidersays review, Woodchuck , , , , , , ,

Review of Woodchuck’s newest Private Reserve cider, Barrel Aged Cherry, from Middlebury Vermont.  It will launch to the public in March, but I got a sneak preview.  This cider is infused with Michigan cherry juice and aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels.  It was created after a positive response to their Sour Cherry (Cellar series) and Cheeky Cherry (Out on a Limb series) cherry ciders, with a barrel aged twist.  I’ve tried a number of their other ciders (see past reviews here).

2016-02-19 18.43.01.jpg
(the bottle almost looks red in this photo, but its the normal brown)

>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Woodchuck.  Although I will take care to treat it the same as any other review, there is always the potential for bias as I received it for free.  The only consideration I knowingly made was pushing this up in my cider review cue.  I love free stuff, especially cider!  Want your cider or cider-related product reviewed here?  Contact me.<<

Cider:  Private Reserve Barrel Aged Cherry
Cidery:  Woodchuck Cider
Cidery Location:  Middlebury VT
ABV:  6.9%
How Supplied:  six pack of 12oz bottles
Style:  American commercial cherry barrel aged cider

2016-02-19 18.43.08 2016-02-19 18.43.18 2016-02-19 18.43.25

Availability:  Seasonably, March-August (with this being the first year), nationwide.  It is the first of a series of three barrel aged ciders in the Private Reserve line (which currently contains Pink, Pumpkin, and Barrel Select).

Cider Description:  A touch of Michigan cherries with a hint of Napa all in one satisfying sip. Private Reserve Cherry infuses our small batch hard cider with the juice of Michigan cherries, then aged in the finest Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. This premium craft cider delivers a sweet and tart taste that finishes with notes of smooth oak from the Napa Valley barrels. Exhilarate your senses with this truly unique and rare cider.

Cidery Description:  Here at the Woodchuck Cidery in Vermont, we handcraft every batch of Woodchuck Hard Cider. Our Cider Makers utilize the highest quality ingredients and meticulously oversee each small batch from start to finish. We reinvigorated American cider in 1991 and continue to lead the category through our commitment to craft innovative and refreshing hard ciders.

Price:  n/a (suggested retail price of $10.99-$11.99)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  I saw some other bloggers online post about it, then my sample bottle showed up in the mail.

2016-02-19 18.44.44.jpg

First Impression:  Cherry hue.  Light foam but almost no carbonation.  Light cherry scent with a hint of complex oak.

Tasting Notes:  On the drier side of semi-sweet.  Low acidity.  Low to moderate tartness.  A hint of tannins.  No sourness or bitterness.  Medium bodied.  The flavor is definitely cherry, although tending more towards cherry skin than cherry juice, with hints of oak.  Nearly still (very low carbonation).  Quick finish.  High sessionability.  Low barrel influence.  Low apple influence.

My Opinion:  Yummy!  This is one of the better ciders from Woodchuck…I may even like it better than Gumption and Winter Chill.  It is less sweet, more “real” tasting, and more complex.  It is also the first I can remember from them that doesn’t list color or flavor in the ingredient list.

Most Similar to:  Woodchuck’s other cherry ciders (Sour Cherry and Cheeky Cherry), although slightly less sweet and more complex.  I liked this cider better than the Apple Outlaw Oaked Sweet Dark Cherry cider I tried at Cider Summit Seattle.  I’ve also heard that Virtue is making a twist on their “Mitten” cider which is barrel aged cherry, and Cider Creek makes a Fall-n-Cherry Bourbon Barrel Aged cider.

Closing Notes:   I’m impressed!  I think this is now tied with Washington Gold Cherry as my favorite cherry cider.  Woodchuck’s version is actually perceived as less sweet, despite it being commercial and the other being craft.  I hadn’t liked the direction Woodchuck was going with their recent new Out on a Limb cider releases, but this may change my mind.  I look forward to trying the second sample they send, Day Chaser.

Update:  Not long after this review, I picked up a six pack of this cider, as I enjoyed it so much.  It must have been from a different batch…not nearly as much oak and complexity, more straight cherry.  Too bad.

Have you tried Woodchuck Private Reserve Barrel Aged Cherry?  What did you think?

Woodchuck Private Reserve Barrel Select

cidersays review, Woodchuck , , , , , , , , ,

Review of Woodchuck Barrel Select, one of their three current Private Reserve ciders (along with Pink and Pumpkin).

2016-01-06 16.42.20

Cider:  Private Reserve Barrel Select
Cidery:  Woodchuck
Cidery Location:  Middlebury VT
ABV:  6.9%
How Supplied:  six pack of 12oz bottles
Style:  American commercial bourbon barrel aged cider

2016-01-06 16.42.34 2016-01-06 16.42.46

2016-01-06 16.43.00 2016-01-06 16.42.54

Availability:  Wide release, Nov-Feb.  Winter Chill, one of their three current seasonal ciders, is also sold during that same time of year.

Cider Description:  Private Reserve Barrel Select is aged in small batches to bring out balanced hints of bourbon over a crisp apple backdrop. The cider is aged for six months in genuine white oak Kentucky Bourbon barrels. The barrels impart a copper hue on the cider as well as gentle notes of oak, vanilla, and whiskey. A truly rare cider which proves that patience is indeed a virtue.

Cidery Description:  Here at the Woodchuck Cidery in Vermont, we handcraft every batch of Woodchuck Hard Cider. Our Cider Makers utilize the highest quality ingredients and meticulously oversee each small batch from start to finish. We reinvigorated American cider in 1991 and continue to lead the category through our commitment to craft innovative and refreshing hard ciders.

Price:  ~$2 for a single bottle (runs $9-$11 a six pack)
Where Bought:  Total Wine
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  I’ve bought this cider the last couple years when it came out, along with Winter Chill, as I love barrel aged cider.

2016-01-06 17.12.28.jpg

First Impression:  Deep copper caramel amber (note that although barrel aging imparts color, they also list “caramel color” on the ingredient list).  A few medium sized bubbles and some foam upon pouring.  Smells of caramel, molasses, brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla, oak, and toffee.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-sweet to sweet.  Low acidity and tartness.  No sourness, bitterness, funk, or tannins.  The scent notes continued into the flavor.  Medium to strong apple flavor.  Mild barrel influence.  Moderate bourbon influence.  Rich, bold, and full flavored.  Medium bodied.  Medium length warming finish.

My Opinion:  Yum!  However, its quite rich and caloric, so its something I’ll only drink one of.  However, that is perfect for a middle of the week treat.  It was especially tasty in a float with ice cream.  I really wish they wouldn’t add caramel color and flavoring though.

Most Similar to:  Not much…barrel aging programs at commercial cideries are pretty rare.  However, this reminds me somewhat of Woodchuck Winter Chill (oak & vanilla but not spirit flavor), Woodchuck 802 (rich caramelized sugar notes but its not barrel aged), Crispin 15 Men (rum barrel aged with honey notes), and Spire Mountain Dark & Dry (rich molasses & brown sugar notes but its not barrel aged).

Closing Notes:   Enjoying some Woodchuck Barrel Select is becoming an annual tradition for me.  I prefer Winter Chill though, and plan to stock up on that one (although probably not as much as last year, when I got a full case of four 6 packs).

Have you tried Woodchuck Barrel Select?  What did you think?

Woodchuck Pink

cidersays review, Woodchuck , , , , , , , , , ,

This is a cider I’ve had a few times, and although I wouldn’t call it one of my favorites, it is quite good.

Pink-6Pack

Cider:  Private Reserve Pink
Cidery:  Woodchuck
Cidery Location:  Middlebury VT
ABV: 5.5%
How Supplied:  six pack of 12oz bottles
Availability:  Spring/Summer (approx. March-July)

Description on Bottle:  Reclaiming your life after cancer is a challenge. We want to help survivors meet that challenge. Woodchuck Pink was crafted to honor that effort. The Cidery’s donation supports Dragonheart’s Survivorship NOW mission which offers programs to help cancer survivors. Delicate in body yet full of crisp apple taste. Raise a bottle to all survivors and join us in helping them live a better life.

Price:  $8.99 / six bottles
Where Bought:  Total Wine
How Found: I read about this online and started to look out for it in Spring 2014, as I try just about every Woodchuck flavor, since I always seem to like their ciders.  I bought some again this Springtime.  Unfortunately they no longer offer the Spring seasonal flavor, which was quite good, and had a maple & brown sugar flavor which reminded me of Vermont.
Where Drank:  home

Opinion:  This cider has a fruity (berry) sweet sparkling wine type flavor.  It gets its pink hue from purple grape skins.  This is a nice choice for Spring & Summer, and has a light flavor.  It is surprisingly non-boozey.  I pick up more carbonation than usual in this variety.  This cider tastes better to me out of the bottle (vs. some of the stronger barrel aged type ciders which I find better out of a glass).  I also tried it on draft/tap once (at Ciderbration), and unlike many ciders, and oddly enough I didn’t notice much of a difference (often cider, like beer, tastes better on draft/tap).  Pink is part of Woodchuck’s Private Reserve Line, which currently has three seasonal releases (Pink, Pumpkin, & Barrel Select).  They recently cut out the fourth one, Belgian White.  Of the Private Reserve flavors, Barrel Select is my favorite.  Pink supports the Dragonheart Vermont Survivorship NOW initiative for breast cancer.  This variety has been available seasonally since 2013.

Have you tried Pink?  What did you think?