Celtic Marches have teamed up with fellow award winning Herefordians, White Heron to create a luxurious limited edition cider, Kir Briton.
Blending Celtic Marches signature single-estate craft cider with the intense fruit filled flavour of British Cassis, this blackcurrant and apple blend hits all the right notes. Both rich in heritage, the luxurious liqueur’s smooth, ripe flavours cut effortlessly through the tannins of the meticulously balanced cider apples. With a sweet edge, the freshly picked currants from the Whittern Estate complement the subtly perfected apple blend of Wyer Croft.
A mere 20 miles between the two, the food miles are minimal. Both pride themselves on sustainability, not only of their bountiful fruits but also their key staff. Taking the best from the local area, both estates are experts in their fields. The cider is blended and packaged in Bromyard by Marches Bottling and Packaging, Celtic Marches sister company, a few minutes from the Wyer Croft. From beginning to end, Kir Briton is Herefordshire through and through.
The Whittern Estate is only one of 35 trusted growers for Ribena so their blackcurrants are highly prized. Perfecting their growth over 140 years, they are delicately picked under the summer sun. These tiny, flavour filled currants are pressed and fermented using Champagne yeasts, fortified with vodka and sweetened with sugar to enhance their deep taste profile.
Wyer Croft is home to Celtic Marches. With 200 acres of cider apple orchards, developed over seven generations, this self sustaining craft cider firm can produce up to 3 million litres a year. Their luscious lined orchards are filled with eight cider tree varieties. Each chosen for their growth and taste profiles, Celtic Marches blend these to create their international award winning ciders.
Both producers are led by very driven female ambassadors for British food producers, locally and nationally. Jo Hilditch has developed and elevated British Cassis into the internationally renowned luxury liqueur it is today. Susan Vaughan is the driving force behind Celtic Marches, developing the family farms fruits into the fast growing, award winning cider firm it is today. When combined, these strong independent Herefordshire producers have created a next level cider offering. A step up from your average fruity number, Kir Briton is a beautifully luxurious smooth drop that is reflective of the riches found growing in the Herefordshire countryside.