At the release in 2019 Andreas wrote of the vintage:
“The 2018 is curious in that an usually large part of it was shaped more by its ageing than we are otherwise used to. When we barrelled it in 2019 it was fairly low in alcohol and had a higher degree of residual sugar. Then in the spring of 2020 a fair amount of it started fermenting slowly again and we decided to roll with it rather than try and stop anything. What came out the other end was higher in alcohol than expected but also with a closer balance between acidity and residual sugar than we had first envisioned. It seems the ice cider “wanted” to move to that point on its own and we are happy it did. In the bottle this spells a tighter final wine. It will be interesting to see how it handles further ageing in bottle”.
It’s been sitting pretty since bottling, slowing down for a little bit, integrating further, and it is exceptionally drinkable now; although you can of course lay it down.
The most common complaint for Brannland's exceptional extended-barrel-time Ice cider is that the bottles are too small, so now you have the chance of buying a bigger bottle, twice the size, and have more people enjoy it or enjoy larger glasses of this for your self. It lasts well, a few weeks, on opening.
APPEARANCE
Light golden with amber hue.
NOSE
Ripe apples, notes of barrel but less wood and more clarity than previous vintages.
PALATE
Soft almond and madeleine cookies on the middle palate and a tight, relatively dry finish.
10.5% Abv