Top 10 Cider Gift Sets: The Cider Lovers Guide

Let’s cut to the chase – there’s no better gift for a cider enthusiast than a carefully curated box of cider and pairings. Or better yet, experiences related to cider, like tours or tasting events!

Sure, getting a pair of socks or perhaps a book can be a very useful gift, but how can it even be compared with our beloved golden nectar ;)

But picking the right cider gift can be challenging, especially with so many quality ciders in the market. Add in pairings to the mix and you’re looking at quite literally a million different combinations to choose from. So which one should you pick? Which cider gift box is the perfect one for you (or your giftee)? And don’t even get us started about how many tasting tours and events there are...

To answer these burning questions, we’ve handpicked some of our (and your!) favourite cider related gifts. In this mini-guide to cider gift sets, we’ll cover everything from cider gift boxes to tasting tours and help you understand which one could be the perfect one for you.

1) Somerset Cider and Food Pairing Gift Box

You cannot go wrong with this one. We mean it. If you want someone to experience the very best of cider and the very best of cheese from the very best of Somerset, look no further.

In this cider gift set, you get one 750ml bottle of Worley’s fantastic Special Reserve keeved cider. It’s the same one that earned an impressive three stars at the 2019 Great Taste Awards. You also get two bottles of our own award-winning ciders – the Crafty Nectar No. 7, a flagship medium made from a mixture of Somerset apples, and the Crafty Nectar No. 8, a special fruit cider with zingy rhubarb juice blended with fine Somerset apples, that was chosen as the best tasting cider in the UK by over 15,000 cider lovers! Both these ciders were awarded two stars at the 2019 Great Taste Awards.

But that’s not all. You also get some great food pairings with all this lovely cider. For starters, you have the 250mg slab of Westcombe Cheddar, the brand’s flagship hand-crafted traditional cheddar. This is one of only three cheeses to be awarded the Artisan Somerset Cheddar designation from Slow Food.

And there’s more – you get four Chorizo Pokers, too! The first pair is a classic Spanish recipe with extra heat and a lovely cider flavour. The second pair of Chorizo Pokers, a winner of two stars at the Great Taste Awards, is a delectable mix of red wine, blue cheese and salami.

We believe this could be a perfect cider gift set for someone who loves the golden nectar ;)

2) Somerset Cider 750ml Fine Cider Box

You get six 750ml bottles of fine cider in the set, all with their unique flavours and tastes. The selection includes:

• Serendipity: what do you get when you combine our love and passion for fine cider with Stones Cider’s award-winning expertise and technique? The answer is a beautifully fruity keeved cider, produce with apples from the orchards of Glastonbury Abbey. Part of the exclusive collection born out of Crafty Nectar collaborations!
• Rakefire - Ganley and Naish: part of the last harvest of the 2016 season, this delicious blend of Yarlington Mill and Ashton Brown Jersey came from the Old Coates Cider Orchard in Abbots Leigh. It’s been carefully fermented for 12 months before maturing and bottling in early spring.
• Wilding Cider -Dicheat Hill 2018: this is a must-have if you’re into complex, full-bodied ciders. A perfect blend of classic Somerset cider and what Wilding Cider think is extraordinary terroir.

• Pilton Tamoshanta: we’ve featured this before in our other selections because of how unique it is. Right from the keeving & fermentation in oak barrels to the fruity taste – it’s got a rather interesting personality. This could be thanks to the maturing process which happens in Scotch whiskey barrels!
• The Newt  - Rose Cyder: a limited release vintage rosé cider, it’s made from pure Red Love apples and then cold fermented. It has a perfect blend of strawberry with just a hint of autumn fruits and tasteful acidity & sweetness.
• TOP SECRET: New Release from Barley Wood Cider.

3) Crafty Nectar Cider Co. Full Range Mixed Case

This one’s the motherlode – an assortment of our entire range of award-winning ciders. You can opt for either a 6 bottle cider gift set or a 12 bottle one. The selection includes:

• One 750ml bottle of Serendipity, our collaborative effort with Stones Cider and the one that’s also in the fine cider gift set above.
• Two 330ml bottles of No. 7 medium & mellow. 
• Two 330ml bottles of No. 8, our special rhubarb cider.

One 330ml bottle of No. 9, our unique hibiscus and blackberry co-ferment.

4) Once Upon A Tree 750ml Co-Ferment Bacchus Cider - Case of Six

Want to gift someone a whole lot one high-quality cider instead of six? This cider gift set might be what you’re looking for. 

The set has a case of six 750ml bottles of the very special co-ferment that’s inspired by the US craft cider culture. It’s a 100% full juice cider using Dabinett and dessert apple cider, fermented with Bacchus wine yeast lees that are aged for 9 months.

The end result is something spectacular and truly worth having six of. The aromatics work in perfect harmony with the subtle and intricate lemon & apricot flavour. It’s arguably one of the most intricate ciders here with a very mature and complex flavour profile, making it the perfect gift for a super cider enthusiast!

5) Pilton Family Mixed Case

Pilton is one of the most special fine cider brands out there. They’re experts at keeving and use a special process of fermentation for all their ciders. This cider gift set is perfect for someone who loves Pilton or loves to explore new fine ciders. 

The cider gift set contains six ciders from the Pilton cider family:

• Tamoshanta 75cl: barrel-fermented Somerset keeved cider
• TEN 75cl: dry anniversary keeved cider
• In Touch 75cl: pinot skin-contact keeved cider
• Pomme Pomme 75cl: keeved cider with quince
• Scarlett Sharpe 75cl: dry-hopped blackcurrant with keeved cider
• ICE 37.5cl: rich dessert cider

All ciders come in at around 5% ABV, except the ICE which packs a punch at 10% ABV. All in all, it’s a great, well-balanced selection of some of the finest ciders Pilton makes.

6) Fine Cider and Cheese Box

This specially curated fine cider gift set is perfect for discerning cider lovers. The two ciders are carefully chosen based on their quality, structure and complexity to ensure that every sip is special.

In the gift set you get:

• Worleys Vintage Special Reserve: the exclusive & special keeved cider that’s a three-star winner at the 2019 Great Taste Awards.
• Sassy Le Cidre Rosé: this interesting cider is pink without using artificial colours. It uses special Geneva crab apples and has a truly unique flavour.
• Westcombe Award-winning cloth bound cheddar

We’re also dropping a NEW West Collab on June 5th which would become part of this special cider gift set. 

7) Fruit Cider Discovery Box

This fruit cider gift set has six of the finest fruit ciders in the UK. Bonus – they’re made with real fruit! 

Each carefully curated box of this cider gift set contains the following fruit ciders

• Crafty Nectar No. 8: our in-house rhubarb cider that’s voted as one of the best in the world.
• Tempted Elderflower cider: a beautifully-made cider that’s very light and fruity with subtle elderflower tones that blend perfectly with the soft apple notes of the cider.
• Duddas Tun Apricot Fruit Cider: a heavenly fusion of apricot and apple.
• Ty Gwyn ‘Black and Browns’ Artisan Blackcurrant Cider: a unique blend of classic bitter-sharp Browns cider apples pressed with high-quality, locally-sourced blackcurrant juice.
• Tempted Strawberry Cider: a delightful combination of sweet cider, apple juice and strawberry wine – truly a party in one’s mouth!
• Once Upon Tree BlackBerry Co-Ferment: Traditional varieties from an ancient local orchard, fermented with the juice of hedgerow berries makes this bright appley sparkler with a touch of bramble. 

Fruit ciders can be a great way of adding a fresh new twist to classic ciders. There are plenty of artificial & sugary drinks but the ones we’ve selected here are some of the best ones in the country!

8) Cidentro Mixed Case Cider (6 x 75cl bottles)

Cidentro ciders are known for being very wine-like, in that they’re categorized by their year. This cider gift set contains cider from their orchard’s 2018 harvest. This gives the cider great character and depth which is very unique and different from many other ciders out there. In the set, you get:

• 2 x 75cl bottles of Still Dry English Cider (7% ABV)
• 2 x 75cl bottles of Lightly Sparkling Dry English Rosé Cider (8% ABV)
• 2 x 75cl bottles of Lightly Sparkling Dry English Cider (6.5% ABV)

Given how diverse these ciders are, it can be a great choice for any cider enthusiast regardless of their preferences. In fact, it might just be a great opportunity for them to discover some new flavours!

9) Luxury Fine Cider and Food Pairing Box

If you want to give someone a fine cider experience, the Luxury Fine Cider and Food Pairing Box might be a fantastic option. Every box of this cider gift set contains:

• Worley Special Reserve Somerset Keeved Cider: if you’re a cider enthusiast, this one needs no introduction. It’s one of the most highly rated ciders in the market today and for very good reason. Keeving gives this cider an unmatched personality with flavour that needs to be tasted to truly understand. 
• Wilding Cider Commix: a multi-orchard blend from the 2018 harvest, this nearly-bone-dry cider complements the rest of the cider gift set very well. Everything from the tannins to the fresh acidity enhances the flavour profile to a whole new level.
• Westcombe Dairy Cheddar: this hand-crafted traditional cheddar is one of just three cheeses to be honoured with the Artisan Somerset Cheddar accolade from Slow Food. 
• Red Wine & Draycott Blue Pokers: a delicious mix of blue cheese, salami and red wine, winner of two stars at The Great Taste Awards.

10) Gosnells Mixed pack of 12 Sparkling Mead

Mead is known as the nectar of the Gods and has a rich history dating back to 60 CE in the Roman civilization. There are various types of mead, and the one we have here is one that’s perfect for every occasion.

This 12-pack of sparkling mead has some mouthwatering flavours, a pleasant change from the ‘vanilla’ mead that we can typically find elsewhere. Think of it as mead, but for the modern era.

Flavours include:

• Citra Sea: a delightful blend of honey, lemon, tarragon and hops with a salty finish. 
• Hibiscus: a pink mead that’s fruity and brewed with hibiscus flowers.
• Hopped: made with hops for a drier floral finish.
• Sour: a complex flavour profile with notes of honey & sourness that gently cuts through.

The cider gift set includes 12 330ml cans (3 of each flavour).

To wrap it up...

You really can't go wrong with either of these gifting options. The cider gift sets are quite diverse in terms of their flavour profiles and structures so there really is something for everyone.

And if you feel that a cider gift box doesn't quite work, you can always gift an exciting cider experience tour. Something that they're sure to cherish forever ;)