Heeman’s – Barrel-aged Pear

Cider Profile:

Name: Heeman’s – Barrel-aged Pear
Sampled April 2025

Brand:  Heeman’s Cider Type: Perry – Barrel-aged Location of Brewing: Thorndale, ON ABV: 7% Website Link: heeman.ca Ingredients: N/A Gluten Free: N/A Sugar Content: N/A Size(s) available: 750ml (bottle) Availability: Seasonal (Spring) – Heeman’s retail and online store Flavour: Pear + whisky Colour:  Transparent light yellow Carbonation: Small, streaming bubbles

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Cider Crate Tasting Notes:

Smell: Medium aroma. Vanilla. Fleshy, juicy, bartlett-like pear. Mild barreling notes.
Initial Taste: Light bite from carbonation. Thick, bright semi candied pear that isn’t sugary. Wood and barrel notes. Soft whisky flavour and astringency that quickly peaks.
After Taste: Pear becomes smoother, slightly juicier. Thinner mouthfeel. Off-dry finish that is clean. Lingering wood/oak notes.
On ice: Reduced carbonation and flavour intensity.

Additional Notes:  Heeman’s Barrel-Aged Hard Pear Cider is aged in whisky barrels and it definitely has that flavour and profile but isn’t dominated by the spirit – a great introduction perry for new spirit barrel-aged drinkers. With some mild astringency, it’s more defined by the semi-sweet pear and wood/oak notes that appear throughout. Pear base is thick, syrupy and juice-forward (but it smells juicer than it tastes). It becomes smoother as it goes on and has a clean finish. Ice changes the profile a lot so we do not recommend drinking this on it. 

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

Next recommendations:
More Sweet – Ravine – Lowrey Bro’s Pear Cider
More Sour – Ev’s Eclectics – Pear-ilous
More Dry – Applewood Winery – Pear & Crabapple
More Crisp – Twin Pines – Hammerbent Apple Pear Cider

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