Maker: Uncle John’s Fruit House, St. John’s, Michigan, USA
Style: Hard cider flavored with cinnamon candies.
ABV: 6.5%
Price: $11 (Binny’s)
Note: At the time of purchase, I received a complimentary bottle of premium cider and of Uncle John’s Apple Brandy. I got a 30% discount on the rest of my purchase.
Appearance: Nearly fluorescent pink. Lots of fizz.
Nose: Apple juice, hint of cinnamon.
Palate: Apple sauce with red hots, flint.
Finish: Cinnamon candy, then dry. Goes quickly.
Parting words: The last cider I reviewed was Cinnamon Girl from Left Foot Charley. That was flavored with single origin cinnamon from two different places and no sugar was added. Uncle John’s took a completely different approach to creating a cinnamon hard cider. They threw a bunch of Atomic Fireball candies into the fermentation tank. The result is something like when my grandmother made applesauce and put red hots in while it was cooking. I enjoyed the flavor then and I enjoy it now, but it’s not as nuanced as Cinnamon Girl. Atomic Apple is cheaper and still pretty good, though. All that said, my wife hated it. Atomic Apple is recommended.
Sipology 