Windswept – Northern Spy (2018)

Cider Profile:

Name: Windswept Orchard Cider – Northern Spy (2018)
Sampled April 2021

Brand: Windswept Orchard Cider Type: Apple – Single Varietal Location of Brewing: Meaford, ON ABV: 6.5% Website Link: windsweptcider.com Ingredients: N/A Gluten Free: Yes Sugar Content: N/A Size(s) available: 750ml (bottle) Availability: Windswept retail and online store Flavour: Apple Colour: Transparent rustic orange Carbonation: Large, frequently streaming with some foam. Heavily carbonated.

Cider Crate Tasting Notes:

Smell: Strong aroma. Sweet pulpy and thick apples (ice cider-like aspects).
Initial Taste: Light bite from carbonation, Sweet, pulpy and thick apples that have some rustic and slightly earthy elements. Caramelized and bright apple.
After Taste: Somewhat clean finish, slightly less bright and sweet.  Finishes drier with a lot of peel notes. Some trub in the bottom.
On ice: Less sweet and bright, similar carbonation levels. More fermentation notes.

Additional Notes: The Northern Spy (2018) by Windswept Orchard Cider is a thick, caramelized apple-focused wild pet-nat cider.  Slightly rustic, with a lot of flavour – has a bunch of ice-cider elements without the astringency.  A lot of carbonation and tingle.  For us, this one gets better at time as it ages in the bottle (bottle conditioned as well).  A bit of trub, but be mindful of shaking it before opening as there is a chance of a foam-over.

Rated on a scale of 1-5
Sweet – 3.5
Sour – 3
Crisp – 2.5
Dry – 3
Fruity – 4

Next recommendations:
More Sweet – Thornbury – Original Apple Cider
More Sour – West Avenue – Legend of the Fall
More Dry – FieldBird – Northern Spy (2017)
More Crisp – Farmgate – North Road

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