Dry, still cider
Art of Darkness is a cider that is the result of our annual experimentation with extended barrel maturation. In January 2020 we sent a tannic blend of Ellis Bitter (67%) and Ashton Bitter (33%) from 2019 into ten individual ex-spirit casks to develop on the fine lees for nearly 14 months. In the end just five barrels were selected for the final blend, bottled still without additions.
We are always amazed at how robust these tannic varieties are, emerging bright from barrel, full of gorgeous fruit and glorious aromatics. This golden yellow liquid is pristine with honeyed apricot and tarte tatin vibes, perfumed like incense and warmly spicy. There’s plenty of ripe tannins here too, to give it both beautiful structure and depth of flavour.