The results are in for this year’s Sandford Orchards Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards. The 2022 gold winner is Moons Cider, with silvers being awarded to Rawlins Family Cider and Artistraw.
The awards, now in their second year, offer aspiring cider makers advice, guidance, and guaranteed listings in the on- and off-trade. The aim is to support the future of cider in the UK.
Barny Butterfield is chief cidermaker at Sandford Orchards and instigator of the awards. He said: “Unlike other awards, we provide detailed actionable feedback for absolutely everyone who entered, with constructive comments that we hope will help them develop their cider-making skills. After the success of the first competition, back in 2020, we were thrilled to see so much interest in the awards this year.
“We had a total of 20 entries, from 13 different counties, with all styles of cider being represented. Naturally sweet to single variety, session ciders to bottle fermented. The judges were very impressed with the level of quality of the ciders entered — a significant improvement from the inaugural competition. A real compliment to the standard of cider now being produced in the UK.”
Tom Moon, from Moons Cider, said: “Winning the Sandford Orchards Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards means a lot to me. With the high standard of ciders that were entered into the competition, it makes all the hard work that goes into cider making worth it when you achieve a gold award like this.”
The judging panel was a veritable who’s who in the world of cider, including The Ciderologist, Gabe Cook, and renowned cider maker, Tom Oliver. They were joined by drinks writer, Susy Atkins, Rich Clancy, from The Stable, and George Dart, from Darts Farm.
Gabe Cook said: “This year’s awards were a step up from the last outing, in both liquid and packaging. There was a pleasing range of styles and occasions from bone dry to grippy, and keeved. An array of playful techniques and a fantastic geographical spread.”
The prize packages, which will be awarded to the winner and two runners-up, include a 12-month listing at Darts Farm, Devon, a listing at a local Stable Pizza, and mentoring from Sandford Orchards, including a tour of its site.
The overall winner will also receive a £500 Vigo voucher, a Sandford Orchards collaboration limited edition cider, and a visit to the winner’s site by Sandford Orchards’ cider makers to offer practical help and advice about set-up.
