Willie Smith’s Tasmanian has announced its newest cider release, adding a non-alcoholic SKU to its line of award-winning organic ciders.
The new Willie Smith’s Non-Alc Apple Cider has been crafted to adult tastes, balancing sweetness, tannin and acidity. Aligned with other craft non-alcoholic beverage offerings, it has less than 0.5 per cent ABV.
Willie Smith’s Senior Marketing Manager, Pat Garnham, said that while Tasmania has a great history of carbonated apple and ginger beer products, this new non-alcoholic cider seeks to stand apart from the crowd by retaining the much loved profile found in its full-strength counterparts.
“We’re looking closely at what consumers are demanding, we’ve led the cider segment to provide healthier alternatives, whether that’s organic or low sugar, and the non-alc segment is estimated to grow by 16 per cent by 2024,” Garnham said.
“While there are carbonated apple juice soft drinks on the market, consumers are looking for refined non-alcoholic beverages which provide the complex flavours, something which beer and spirit producers have been quicky to adapt to and provide sophisticated offerings.”
Creating this special flavour profile was not easy for Willie Smith’s, and has been achieved thanks to a commitment to innovation alongside the cidery’s tradition. Specific production methods are a closely guarded secret, but Garnham did say the cider’s creation follows all the same principles that have made Willie Smith’s a success so far – with only organic Tasmanian apples and nothing artificial used, and the cidermaking staying on the farm to ensure the freshest flavours.
“Like any other cider made at Willie Smith’s there are multiple tools including different apple varieties and cidermaking techniques, which transform the fruit into an outstanding Tassie cider,” Garnham said.
“In this case, there are familiar elements used in our other ciders, like the organic apple juice from Fuji, Pink Lady and Royal Gala apples which is balanced with the more complex heritage cider apples.”
Willie Smith’s Non-Alc Apple Cider is sold in four-packs for RRP $16 and 16-pack cases for RRP $52.