454: Wild Ferment Meets Fine Cider: Inside Oliver's Barrel Room

Rainy Days Goes Best with Dry Cider in the Barrel Room Walking into the barrel room at Oliver's Cider and Perry Company, you might think you know what to expect. But surrounded by whitewashed stone walls, standing beneath the old Hessian sacking floor, and facing rows of aging barrels, I quickly realized this wasn't just a cidery—it's a living, breathing creative space for cider making. Tom Oliver sources fruit both from his farm and from local orchards across Herefordshire. This isn't an estate cidery where everything is grown on-site—but what sets Oliver's cider and perry apart is Tom himself. A master blender with an instinct for balance, he brings character to every bottle. And while the farm may not produce every apple, it certainly imparts its own terroir through the land, the barns, and the quiet, purposeful rhythm of the work. Tom and Ria In this Cider Chat Blending Tradition with Innovation Tom is now experimenting with distillation: apple brandy, pommeau-style blends, and barrel-aged perry into brandy too! He's careful with naming, refusing to call something a "Pommeau" unless it honors French tradition. Barrels sourced from rum, sherry, port, bourbon, and white wine shape each unique blend. Tasting in the Barrel Room In the barrel room We tasted perries straight from the barrel—some from single ancient trees, others blended with gin pears or red pear varieties. Each sip revealed: Confectionary sweetness Banana, melon, pineapple notes Mellow malolactic fermentation This isn't a showpiece cidery as Tom puts it, "It's a working farm", evolving from a hop yard and now cider. Tom calls it "just a part of the agricultural calendar." No pretense, just purpose. Tom Oliver straddles the line between tradition and experimentation with ease. Whether it's a single-varietal showcase or a spirit-kissed blend, the goal remains the same: make cider that speaks of time, place, and people. Contact info for Oliver's Cider and Perry Co. Website: https://www.oliversciderandperry.co.uk Mentions in this Cider Chat 2025 Totally Cider Tour_UK Edition Send an email to [email protected] to get on the wait list for the next cider tour! Tom Oliver Featured episodes: 029 Tom Oliver| Oliver's Cider and Perry, UK 105 Tom Oliver on Making Perry | UK 366 Acclaimed Cider w/Minimal Intervention | Tom Oliver