If you haven’t heard the good word, Spanish cider apples are soon being released from the USDA to orchardists in the United States, to much anticipation. In the mean time, the team at Vermont’s Shacksbury Cider has been blending its home state’s juice with a bittersweet apple blend from Spain’s Basque country in the Arlo. The canned line of cider is currently sporting apples from 2015 harvest, then went through a native yeast fermentation in stainless steel and was aged for three to six months (depending on the tank). Spain lives on this cider, from the lemon-y tart, funky aromatic profile to the tangy, bone-dry, slightly cloudy and modestly effervescent mid-palate. No need to pour this from upon high, this cider stays fresh and fizzy even after popping the top.
