Judge’s Review: 88 Rating – Excelsior Imperial Apple by Schilling Hard Cider

New World Cider | Year-Round | USA

By Brian Eichhorn

Judges Rating: 88
Aroma: 21
Appearance: 5
Flavor: 37
Mouthfeel: 8
Overall Impression: 17

Excelsior Imperial Apple by Schilling Hard Cider is being evaluated as a C1A New World Cider (per the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines), as that seems the best fit.
This cider pours a deep burnished gold with a faint haze to it. Collapsing head here. Nose is super clean and expresses a deep apple character, almost fresh juice-like. Clean and persistent ethanol as well. I get a hint of jasmine and other herbal aromatics from the apples. Again, clean and nice.
On tasting, medium-sweet at least, if not fully sweet, and it has a ton of supporting clean acid and a decent hit of tannin structure to help even it out. On tasting, I get a lot of fresh cider notes, more so than a wine-like fermented character. Carbonation is a touch low for me, as a bit more could lift some of that sweetness. Very clean and fun, but definitely on the sweet end of the spectrum.