Jack Ratt with Botanicals – Lyme Bay Winery

The Jack Ratt Pack

TL;DR – Refreshing, well-balanced and sophisticated.

Jack’s Thoughts

I popped it open, poured some into a glass and took a deep whiff. It took me back to various Boxing Days’ with my family; the smell was like the customary sniff of the products from some shower set that one of your uncles or aunts got you. But I don’t just mean a standard set, I’m talking a ‘we don’t know what to get you but we’re going to splash a bit of money on it to show we care’ kind of shower sets with black pepper and gold-flakes or something. The bottle mentions ‘traditional gin notes’ and that really comes through in the smell (and is what I was trying to get across in my stretched metaphor). You’ll find yourself, like me, sniffing away for a good couple of minutes before even getting to having a sip.

When I did get down to having a swig I was truly impressed and found it hard to fault (or make some crude joke about). The cider is pretty decent in it’s own right; light and crisp with just the right amount of sweetness and dryness. Then just as you’re done enjoying the cider that’s when the subtle burst of botanical notes comes through. There’s a lot going on but I didn’t find any of the flavours to be overpowering or contrasting with each other – it was all very well balanced – combine that with the fact that they complimented the cider too.

Now, at the close-to-five-quid I paid for this 330ml bottle, you would expect great things from this cider and I think it really achieved that; even being the stingy, instant-noodle-eating guy that I am. However, it’s definitely not a cider for knocking back for fear of both bankruptcy and wasting the taste! If you liked this review, check out the Jack Ratt with Hops Cider review. 

Cheers,

Jack