International Cider Challenge 2022

International Cider Challenge 2022

Barrel #4 awarded gold medal and “Best in Class”, silver for Perry Cobalt Lake

Last year we entered a couple of products at the Cider World Awards in Frankfurt – Germany’s premium cider competition. Having brought home 2 silver medals, we decided to raise the bar this year: we sent our Barrel #4 and Perry Cobalt Lake to the International Cider Challenge in the UK. In its 12th year, the ICC is an internationally recognized competition that draws entries from all over the world. The judges are highly respected professionals from the world of cider. Every product is independently assessed by multiple judges in a rigorous blind tasting.

What drew us to ICC was that James Finch from Cider Review was chairing the judging panel. The Cider Review team has done such a fantastic job raising awareness of fine cider and perry that we felt very comfortable submitting our products to be evaluated by James and his panel of judges. Judging can be hit and miss at cider competitions, since there are not (yet) that many professionals focused on cider – not to mention perry.

Additionally, the evaluation process is as fair and objective as it can be, since it is based on a very detailed style guide. Judges assess the quality of a product within this framework, largely eliminating individual biases or preferences.

So how did Black Forest cider fare in the UK, home to so many wonderful ciders and perries? We are extremely pleased to report that our cider Barrel #4 was awarded not just a gold medal, but also named Best in Class in its category! Our perry Cobalt Lake took home a silver medal.

Barrel #4 – ICC 2022 gold medal and Best in Class in the Wood Aged Cider category
„An excellent cider, a world class example“

Perry Cobalt Lake – ICC 2022 silver medal in the Perry category
„A very good cider, one to seek out over others and recommend“