Judge’s Review: 95 Rating – Quince by Nine Pin Ciderworks

New World Cider | Seasonal | USA

By Scott Birdwell

Judges Rating: 95
Aroma: 23
Appearance: 5
Flavor: 38
Mouthfeel: 10
Overall Impression: 19

This cider was judged as a New World Cider, Category C1A per the 2015 BJCP Cider Guidelines.
Nine Pin describes their quince cider as an off-dry sparkling cider with 6.2% ABV. It pours a pale straw hue into the glass, with a slight haze (it is bottle-conditioned). I’m not going to get hung up on clarity, especially for such a unique beverage. The aroma is reminiscent of stone fruit. It is pleasant and attractive. The head dissipates rapidly, as most ciders do. The flavor is tangy up front, followed quickly with a dry finish, perhaps slightly astringent, but not off-putting. The fruitiness promised by the aroma is fulfilled in the finish. It’s a complex beverage, and in a word, it is delicious! I can honestly say, this is the best quince cider I have ever tasted! Okay, call that a back-handed compliment. Nevertheless, I like this very much and was very happy when I was shown that it was packaged in a 25.6 fl. oz. champagne bottle! That means more for later! As I was finishing my sample, I began to imagine all the different variations one could make with such a cider: a sweet dessert version to mask the tartness, a semi-sweet one to ramp up the fruitiness, quince cider dosed with nuances of other fruits (strawberry, cherry, blackberry, raspberry, plum, peach, etc.). This base cider could be a lot of fun with more additions, but the base cider was still terrific.