Cold Creek – Bourbon Barrel Aged (2024)
Cider Profile:
Name: Cold Creek – Bourbon Barrel Aged (2024)
Sampled June 2025
| Brand: Cold Creek Vineyards Type: Apple – Barrel-Aged Location of Production: Hillier, ON ABV: 9.2% Website Link: coldcreekvineyards.ca Ingredients: N/A Gluten Free: Unsure (bourbon barrel-aged) Sugar Content: N/A Size(s) available: 750ml (bottle) |
Cider Crate Tasting Notes:
Smell: Medium aroma. Creamy, caramelized apples. Hints of wood. Smooth vanilla and hints of astringent bourbon.
Initial Taste: Minimal bite. Smooth, creamy vanilla and hints of bourbon notes. Some spirit astringency. Soft apple base that’s crisp, juicy and otherwise balanced. Touch of bitterness.
After Taste: Wood notes emerge from barreling and replace the apples here mostly. Vanilla and creaminess linger. Bourbon notes intensify at the finish. and are especially apparent on the breath. Short aftertaste in the mouth, mostly remains on your breath
On ice: Bourbon and spirit notes weakened. More apple-focused.
Additional Notes: Cold Creek Vineyard’s 2024 vintage of their Bourbon Barrel Aged cider is a balanced cider, not too bold or too light in any direction. It’s got a lot of nuanced bourbon character, but not too strong either, like similarly-made ciders. Upfront, you do get some spirit astringency, but it’s mostly the vanilla-like and creamy notes from the bourbon noticeable. It then becomes more of a bourbon-focused flavour in the finish, especially noticeable on the exhale. The apple base is also more present upfront, being semi-crisp, juicy and a ‘softer’ apple profile.
Rated on a scale of 1-5
Sweet – 2
Sour – 3
Crisp – 4
Dry – 4
Fruity – 3.5
Next recommendations:
More Sweet – Slabtown – Vanilla Bourbon
More Sour – Front Road – Devil’s Cut
More Dry – 1818 Cider – Golden Hour (2024)
More Crisp –
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