Producer: Cidrerie Ponpon
Country: France
Size: 37.5cl
ABV: 5%
Price: 39kr
Systembolaget: 11723
France is one of the main cider producers in the world and so of course I felt obliged to have one of their ciders in my tasting. I picked this as I had read some good reviews of it. I also loved the name so I thought why not? Well, this was maybe the strangest cider of the night, but for all the wrong reasons.
This was dark amber in colour with a good haze and seemingly low carbonation. The smell was peculiar, as it was like someone had manage to bottle the essence of a farm. There were aromas of warm hay, blue cheese, red apple skin and a sizable sheep presence emanating from the glass. Heavy in body, this cider really had a rustic warmth that came through on the first sip, with soft bittersweet apple and creamy warm cheese both noticed strongly. The aftertaste was quite damp, with straw and wet hay.
This was just simply weird. The apple flavours were muted in favour of the wet, damp farmyard funk that dominated the aroma and taste. Imagine smelling a sheep, then licking it while drinking some apple juice and you get the idea. It’s a bit of a shame really that the apple doesn’t shine a bit more. I was happy I picked a cider that was vastly different from the others but I won’t be going out and buying another bottle anytime soon.