Perry’s Grey Heron

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The Perry family has been making cider since 1920 when William Churchill acquired the farm in Somerset. The cider-making business was later taken over by his nephews Henry and Bert Perry, who gave the cidery their name and started experimenting with cider. Judging by the number of awards that the Perry family and their ciders won only in 2016 you can tell that they know what they are doing. It’s my first time sampling Perry’s cider. I have decided to start with the Grey Heron, which won silver in the Taste of the West Awards 2017.img_8927Company: Perry’s Cider
Place of Origin: The Cider Mills, Dowlish Wake, Somerset, UK
Apples: a blend of Redstreak and Dabinett apples grown at our Knowles St Giles Orchard
ABV: 5.5%
Package type: 500ml brown glass bottle with crown cap
Recommended type of glass: pint glass, snifter or white wine glass

Appearance: pours a hazy pale orange with a white head, which only slowly dissipates. Lightly sparkling.

Aroma/Nose: notes of barnyard, beeswax, leather on the nose with a hint of both red and fermented apples and a delicate honey note.

Taste: the palate begins with medium sweetness and a low to moderate acidity with a touch of lemon. The mid-palate has funky notes with red apple skins and seeds and a hint of smoke. The tannin has a lot of grip to it as it makes your lips stick to your teeth. The finish is dry and astringent with a delicate touch of grapefruit-like bitterness.

Overall: Grey Horn has just become one of my favourite ciders. Extremely rich in terms of flavours and beautifully balanced. Surprisingly, I didn’t mind the relatively high sweetness of the Grey Horn. Moreover, the aroma and the palate reminded me slightly of French cidre. I think, however, that the abundant tannin and the mouth drying effect might not appeal to everyone. I found the Grey Horn extremely drinkable and tasty and I could imagine having it over and over again. Delicious! 5.5/6 

Availability: from their online shop, Orchard Box, Bottles and Books, Bristol Cider Shop, Love to Brew, Fetch the Drinks, Brewers Droop, Beers by Post. In Denmark online from Klosterbryggeriet and in Germany from Ciderhof,

Price: came with my cider subscription delivered monthly by Orchard Box.

Published by ciderexplorer

a blog focusing on cider culture in Europe run by a cider aficionado based in Berlin, Germany

6 thoughts on “Perry’s Grey Heron”

  1. Okay, I’m a wee bit spooked. At the end of my last comment on your blog I was going to ask if you’d tried any of Perry’s Ciders but didn’t bother. I was just sipping a bottle of the Grey Heron on Monday evening! It is indeed a wonderfully complex taste.I also had a bottle of their Dabinett, not sure to start but it grew on me.I have some Redstreak still to try. I hope you can get to try their Barn Owl and Puffin ciders, as I’d be very interested to read your reviews of them. Currently watching Glastonbury on the telly, I really should go and open a cider!

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    1. No way! This is really spooky. Or perhaps cider lovers think alike? Anyway, I was planing to do a review on their Vintage next, but as I also happen to have one bottle of both their Barn Owl and Puffin ciders I will try one of them next. So which cider did you open yesterday?

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      1. Perry’s Grey Heron is a lovely cider at the sweeter end of the spectrum but as you suggest, it retains complexity from the slight tannins and acidity. Very quaffable. If you like this you could consider Perry’s Morgan Sweet. Morgan Sweet is a single varietal fermented with the natural yeasts on the apple. Simplicity itself as a cider but the experience for me is divine: like apple pie without the pastry. If you prefer something at the dry end, the Perry’s Puffin is superb too.

        PS You can also get a full range of Perry’s ciders via in Hong Kong – visit our website for details 🙂

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      3. And this would another bit I’ve only just discovered tonight! My apologies for being something of a technophobe, goodness only knows what else I haven’t noticed yet! So how was the Puffin for you? Personally I wasn’t at all keen on it, much preferred the Grey Heron.

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