John Sinclair understands that cider lives in the gray area of alcoholic beverage production. The line is finer as far as restrictions, for bottling, packaging, sustainability and more all because Washington hasn’t quite decided if it thinks cider falls into the same category as wine or beer. Yes, it’s made from fruit, like wine, but it’s alcoholic content and production process is more in line with beer. And making organic cider, especially a product that can last once bottled without sulfites to preserve it, is a whole other issue —one that left Sinclair experimenting and practicing on his Methow Valley ciders for Sixknot Cider for more than a decade to finally perfect his process.
Finally satisfied this summer, Sinclair has been kegging his still, organic hard ciders that are soon to be more available in the Northwest. One of the two initial cider, the High Desert Semi-Dry, is thick with fragrant perfumes of butterscotch, anise, vanilla and almost a squash note tied in with a slight yeast aroma. The palate is comparable to biting into a fresh apple you picked up off the ground—earthy, juicy and tart. More dry than you’d expect up front but rounded with vanilla flavors in the finish to give a medium-bodied, fresh cider.
