Before you read this article, it is important that you know that we were gifted this beer directly from Crafty Nectar. Whilst we accept gifted drinks – without payment – we ensure to give an honest review, both good and bad. Learn more about our review policy.
When the Crafty Nectar team reached out to us, I was more than happy to accept. After all, most of the reviews we feature on our site are beers, so it’s good to get some ciders to test.
I received six beers in total – mostly from well known brands. However, this cider has been created in collaboration between Crafty Nectar and Wise Bartender.
I’m interested to see what we have here, and whether it can compete with the taste and aroma of the better known brands.
First Impressions
The packaging is fairly simple, but looks good.
A white label featuring both logos and unicorns with some coloured metallic foil for their manes. It comes in the typical glass bottle associated with cider, that is slightly narrower and taller.
Having been chilled in the fridge for a few days, it’s time to open.
The cap was quite tough to get off, so I was expecting some fizz. But nothing at all.
When poured out into a glass, it sounds very fizzy. However, only a very slight head appears, which dissipates almost instantly. There are plenty of bubbles through the drink however.
Even before going into get a sniff, I can smell sweet apples. Up close, it’s even more pronounced. It smells like a sweet apple juice, bordering on a white wine.
The initial taste is sweet, followed by a bitterness, and a nice dry finish. It is slightly tangy, yet the bubbles almost are almost non-existent once it hits my tongue.
With most non-alcoholic ciders, I tend to find they are fancy apple juices. This drink does slightly resemble apple juice, but I would say it has more depth, and less sweetness to it.
The tang and the bitterness make this a great cider that you could enjoy on a regular occasion. It would say it has more of the generic cider taste, but without tasting artificial. I do enjoy the level of fizz of this one. Slightly there, but not going to have your burping all night.
Whilst I enjoy the occasional cider, I do find that they can be too sweet to consume many of them. This cider is probably bordering on too sweet for me, but enjoyable enough to finish the whole bottle and consider purchasing more.
Where Can You Buy Crafty Nectar X Wise Bartender Cider?
Unsurprisingly, there are only two places you can get this beer – both online.
Crafty Nectar has them on sale in minimum quantities of 6, whereas you can but single bottles directly from Wise Bartender.
Crafty Nectar X Wise Bartender Ingredients, Nutritional Information and Calories
The ingredients list is as follows:
Cider, Apple Juice Concentrate, Sugar, Water & Sulphites
| Nutritional Information | Per 100mL |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0.5% |
| Energy (KJ / KCal) | 23 / 98 |
| Fat (g) | 0 |
| Of Which Saturates (g) | 0 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 6.1 |
| Of Which Sugars (g) | 6.1 |
| Protein (g) | 0 |
| Salt (g) | 0 |
This cider is gluten free, and suitable for vegetarians.
The Overall Verdict
For those of you looking for a decent non-alcoholic cider that can be enjoyed in any occasion, this is something you should strongly consider.
It’s nothing fancy, but that doesn’t matter if you are after a great tasting, great value cider that is enjoyable to drink once chilled. If you plan on having more than one at a time, make sure you have a sweet tooth. One was fine for me, but no more.
If you want to try this, you can add a single bottle to your next Wise Bartender offer, or go straight to Crafty Nectar to stock up, and save money whilst you do so!
