What Is Dry Cider?
First things first: dry doesn't mean sour. A dry cider simply isn't very sweet — but that doesn't mean all dry ciders taste the same.
One word on the label. Lots of possible flavours.
Some dry ciders are light, crisp and refreshing. Others can be richer, fuller and have considerably more character.
That's because dry describes the sweetness of the finished cider much more than it describes exactly what that cider is going to taste like.
And a big part of the difference starts with the apples.
Not all apples are trying to become lunch.
Traditional English cider makers often use apples specifically grown for making drier styles of cider.
And they have some brilliant names.
Dabinett · Yarlington Mill · Michelin · Harry Masters' Jersey · Kingston Black · Brown Snout
These aren't the sort of apples most of us are likely to pick up from the supermarket fruit aisle.
Different cider-apple varieties bring different characteristics, which is why cider makers often blend several together to create the cider they want.
Some can bring more body, some more freshness and acidity, while others contribute the slightly drying character associated with many traditional ciders.
Why can two dry ciders taste completely different?
Because Dry is only part of the story.
The apples
Different varieties have different flavours and characteristics, and many ciders are made from a blend rather than a single apple.
The cider maker
Different producers make different choices about blending, fermentation and the style of cider they want to create.
The finished cider
One dry cider might be light and crisp while another could be richer, fuller and much more traditional in character.
There isn't actually a “dry cider apple”.
The apples help determine the flavour, but the word dry is largely about how much sweetness is left in the finished cider.
The simple version
Apples naturally contain sugar.
During fermentation, yeast converts much of that sugar into alcohol. Generally speaking, the more of that sugar that is fermented, the less sweetness remains in the finished cider.
So “dry” tells you something about sweetness. It doesn't tell you exactly what the cider will taste like.
“I don't like dry cider.”
Try something once, don't particularly like it, and decide the whole category isn't for us.
You might just have tried the wrong one.
A light, crisp dry cider can be a very different drink from a richer traditional cider made with bittersweet apples.
Put two bottles labelled Dry Cider next to each other and they can be remarkably different.
Different apples. Different blends. Different cider makers.
Which sounds like a pretty good excuse to try another one.
Where does Dry sit on the cider scale?
Compare Dry with Medium Dry, Medium, Medium Sweet and Sweet in our simple guide to cider styles.
Choose how you want to explore it.
Pick your own bottles from the current dry cider range, start with six, or explore a full 12-bottle case.
Choose Your Own
Browse the current dry cider range and choose the individual bottles you want to try.
Shop Dry Cider Bottles6 Dry Ciders
A smaller curated selection for discovering dry cider — for yourself or to send as a gift.
Explore 6 Dry Ciders12 Dry Ciders
A fuller curated case for exploring the style and discovering how different dry ciders can be.
Explore 12 Dry CidersDon't let one bottle decide the whole category.
The word Dry is a useful guide, but it's only a starting point.
The best way to find out whether a cider is for you is still remarkably straightforward.
Pour it. Taste it. Decide for yourself.
And if you don't like that one?
Try another.