Craft brewing, cider making and distilling

Northern Ireland has a long history of cider making. Armagh in particular is well known as an orchard county, and has grown apples for over 3,000 years. There are currently around 250 commercial apple growers in Armagh.

Several independent craft cider producers are operating in Northern Ireland. Many of these have opened in recent years, as interest in local artisan drinks is on the rise.

What is craft cider?

Cider is an alcoholic drink made from fermented apples. Perry is a similar drink, made from fermented pears. To be defined as cider or perry for tax purposes, the drink must have 1.2-8.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). At a higher ABV, the drink is classed as a made-wine or spirit.

There are certain limitations on the ingredients that you can add to cider and perry.

The terms 'craft cider' and 'real cider' usually refer to cider that:

• is produced in small batches
• is made using traditional methods
• is made with fresh apple juice (as opposed to from-concentrate)
• is not pasteurised or artificially carbonated
• has no added colours, preservatives or flavourings (except natural flavourings such as fruit and spices)
• has no or minimal added sugar
• has no or less than 10% added water

Many craft ciders are made on small or family farms to diversify the business, using the producer's own apples.

'Keg' cider is a commonly mass-produced version of cider. It typically uses fruit concentrates and is carbonated artificially.

Licensing

Cideries, who have been granted a licence under Article 5(1)(m) of the Licensing (NI) Order 1996, may sell their own products directly from their production premises and in certain circumstances, from other licensed and unlicensed premises, on an off-sales basis. Once a licence for off-sales has been granted, a local producer may also apply for a suitability order and authorisation to allow sales for consumption on the premises in certain circumstances.