Last spring, beverage executives Peter Click and Alan MacDonald combined their five decades of experience in alcoholic beverage branding, marketing and sales to turn the page on a new chapter in the Winsome Ciderworks book. The duo acquired and rebranded the cidery in Woodinville, Washington, that had been open since 2015. Now, it’s a family operation among Click, MacDonald, and their sons and daughters.
Winsome’s previous owner Leroy Radford “took us under his wing to teach us how to make his cider recipes,” explains MacDonald. Radford’s background in winemaking undoubtedly contributed to the development of high quality cider recipes, which the new owners have kept consistent in the transition.
“People love our ciders,” says Click. “And it’s all due to Leroy’s fundamental recipes. We made cider together for a few months before taking over, and now we call him a friend.”
While the Click and MacDonald families worked to keep recipes unchanged, they transformed Winsome Ciderworks’ branding. “We refined the logo and the brand image to reflect a classic, historical look — something you might see in the ’60s … if people were making ciders,” MacDonald says.
The four core canned ciders now capture the cidery’s time-honored, old-world techniques with a clean, classic aesthetic. These inventive flavors— Asian Pear, Pom Cherry, Apricot Twist and Peach Ginger— are made with real fruit and without added sugar, a top priority for Winsome Ciderworks.
“Using real fruit isn’t just a marketing line for us — it’s at the heart of who we are,” explains MacDonald. “Washington state produces some of the best fruit in the world, and we want our ciders to taste like it. Real fruit gives our ciders natural depth, texture and authenticity. When someone takes a sip of Winsome, we want them to taste the orchard — the crisp apple, the juicy pear, the brightness of peach or cherry. Each flavor is built on what the fruit gives us, not what we add to it. It’s how we honor our region and the growers who make it possible.”
Honoring these cidermaking traditions keeps Winsome ciders on the drier side, striking harmony between ripe, expressive fruit and crisp, refreshing acidity. One of the flagship Winsome ciders, Apricot Twist, is a great example of said balance, crafted with Mosaic hops (known for their citrusy, floral notes) to complement its bright, slightly tart apricot character. “Apricot Twist is one of those ciders that bridges the world between beer and cider lovers,” MacDonald says. “The result is a cider that’s fruit-forward, slightly tropical and incredibly aromatic — familiar to craft beer drinkers but distinctly a cider.
Winsome sources their hops from many farms that are part of a cooperative in Prosser, Washington, MacDonald says, “where we can work directly with growers who care as much about aroma and freshness as we do.”
It’s clear that quality ingredients are keystone at Winsome, where their causal, weekend-only taproom is filled with all ages of Seattle locals and visitors — often coming from Woodinville’s several nearby wineries.
Currently, Winsome sells cider on tap and in 6-packs, 19oz. cans, crowlers and growlers to-go from the taproom and in select retailers nearby. The next step: Expand across Washington and states beyond like Oregon and Idaho, an expansion slated in the first half of 2026.
“We saw the value and extreme high quality of these ciders,” says Click, “and we’re excited to take this brand to the next level.”
