Style: Iscider
Producer: Brännland Cider
Origin: Sweden
Size: 33cl
Alcohol: 10%
Price: 199kr
Systembolaget: 94021 (2020 vintage)
Brännland Cider began producing cider back in 2010 and focus their energy on producing world-class ciders in the heart of Norrland. They use apples grown both here in Västerbotten and Skåne. In the last 13 years, the companies’ reputation has skyrocketed, culminating in their 2021 vintage Iscider being the first Swedish wine to be served at the Nobel Gala. This is one of their newer products and was produced using 100% Mutsu apples, with a wild yet supervised fermentation finishing the cider to leave 99 gram of sugar per litre. Bottled in June 2022, this cider has then had a further year to mature in bottle. I was so happy when Brännland Cider said they would be donating this to the tasting, as their cider went down extremely well when they participated in a previous charity tasting. But how would this new product be judged? Unsurprisingly, it was very popular indeed!
This was light golden in colour and seemed to shine when held up to the light. The aroma was, as you may imagine, a blend of red and mature yellow apple coupled with a hint of straw and citrus. The aroma was beautiful, and I could have just sat there and inhaled those gorgeous notes all day! The body was thick and oily, leaving a noticeable trace around the inside of the glass when swirled. One sip and the intense taste sprang to life, with the acidic apple notes instantly present. There was zero carbonation, but with flavours this big it wasn’t necessary. The bittersweet apple notes were backed up again with hints of lemon peel, honey and peach skin. The thick, heavy body coated the palate and lingered, while the alcoholic hit packed a punch, warming the chest as the cider was sipped.
With only 6000 bottles of this cider produced, I felt very fortunate to have it in the tasting. The intense sweetness and acidity were perfectly balanced, and this was a delight. I think it would be hard to drink a lot of this in one sitting, I would say that this is a perfect-sized bottle to enjoy after a meal with a few friends. If you get the chance to get your hands on a bottle of this, I highly recommend it!