A tasting of a trio of Magners Specials

As is apparent from the plethora of new products I have been reviewing recently, the popularity of cider continues to climb, But, once you’ve made an apple cider and expanded your range to include pear and berry varieties, where can you go from there?

Well, Magners seem to have found a solution with their range of “luxury” ciders, each of which combines an extra flavour with something more traditional. In doing this, the boffins at Magners have come up with some imaginative flavours, namely:

1) Pear & Ginger

2) Spiced Apple & Honey
3) Spiced Apple & Rhubarb

Each of these is served in 500ml (slightly smaller than the usual 568ml) bottles with an ABV of 4%. They are available in both pubs and supermarkets. So how did they taste?

1) Pear & Ginger
A very light yellow/green in colour, with a nose of gentle ginger and sweet pear. In terms of taste, I thought it was quite dry and slightly fruity, with ginger on the finish, but the ginger note isn’t particularly fiery. It is rather cooling, but it really needs twice as much flavour as it has.

2) Spiced Apple & Honey
Dark yellow in colour, with only a minimal hint of apple on the nose. Taste-wise, the drink is festive and rather wintery, with the cinnamon and nutmeg spiced apple and a touch of honey being easily distinguishable. Pretty good, this is even better over ice.

3) Spiced Apple & Rhubarb
Rose pink in colour, with nose of light rhubarb. To taste, there are notes of dry rhubarb with a touch of sweetness and the flavour of fresh, crisp apple. Quite refreshing. I thought this was the best of the range. There are hints of cloves and cinnamon on the finish.