Scottish cider is unburdened by tradition. Think of it like an English whiskey: no rules, no expectations. ‘It’s a very exciting time for Scottish cider,’ says Gabe Cook (aka The Ciderologist), author of British Modern Cider, noting the bubbling up of experimental ciders from across the country. ‘There are more cider-makers than I can keep up with, which is not something you could say just a few years ago.’

Cooler climates and different apple varieties, combined with a range of experimental production, fermentation and maturation processes, mean Scottish cider defies easy characterisation. Regional cider scenes are beginning to emerge and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the fertile orchards of Fife have become a bit of a hot spot. 

Naughton Cider Company make an elegant effervescent drink which is now popping up on fine-dining menus as a sparkling wine alternative. Vinified in ex-champagne barrels for ten months, it’s then bottled with champagne yeast for a further two years. ‘My real passion is the cider’s production,’ says founder Peter Crawford, a champagne expert who turned his knowledge to apples. ‘How different that can be depends on how hands-off or on you are in controlling the fermentation and using different types of barrels.’ 

At Hyrneside Farm by Newburgh, farmers Roger and Rachel Howison discovered monks from Lindores Abbey had made cider on their land in the 12th century. Determined to diversify their farm sustainably, Hyrneside uses alley cropping, planting barley for the whisky industry alongside apple trees for cider, with wildflowers for pollination and biodiversity. Aipple, the resulting cider, is crisp and fresh. Fife is also home to the Aeble cider shop in Anstruther which Cook says is ‘one of the best cider shops in Europe. It’s definitely helped catalyse the interest and bravery of cider producers.’ 

The list of producers continues: Seidear makes a ‘keeved’ cider, initially wild fermented then bottle fermented; Caledonian Cider Co produces on the Black Isle; and Novar near Dingwall makes spicy citrus-forward tannic ciders. Nithsdale’s Steilhead Cider makes a traditional Hertfordshire style, while Arran’s Lagg Distillery has launched small-batch orchard cider with Ayrshire Riviera Cider (and also has ambitions to make brandy). 

‘These products are really boundary pushing,’ says Cook. ‘They’re often presented in 750ml bottles, not trying to be wine, but demonstrating that cider is a drink that can be consumed on the same occasions that wine might be, and enjoyed with food. You can have it out of a wine glass; it doesn’t have to be drunk by the pint. Not that there’s anything wrong with cider by the pint, but there are some ciders that deserve to be savoured and respected.’

Read more about the world of cider on The Ciderologist site.