Woodchuck Hard Cider Explained

Woodchuck Hard Cider
Type:Private
Founded:1991
Founder:Joe Cerniglia, Barry Blake, and Greg Failing
Hq Location City:Middlebury, Vermont
Website:https://www.woodchuck.com/

Woodchuck Hard Cider is a brand of hard cider produced by the Vermont Hard Cider Company, LLC, in Middlebury, Vermont.[1] [2] In 2011 it was the top-selling hard cider in the United States,[3] capturing approximately 47% of the hard cider market in the country.[4]

History

Woodchuck was founded at The Joseph Cerniglia Winery in Proctorsville, Vermont, in 1991[5] by Joe Cerniglia and Barry Blake, along with wine maker Greg Failing.[6] While cider production began in Cerniglia's winery, by 1996 the company was producing 400,000 cases of product per year, necessitating a move to a cidery in Springfield, Vermont.

In 2000, Woodchuck moved to its current production facility in Middlebury, Vermont, and by 2007 had become the first cider company in the nation to sell one million cases in one year.[7] In 2012, Woodchuck Hard Cider was purchased by Irish beverage company C&C Group.[8]

In March 2021, C&C Group announced their intent to sell Vermont Hard Cider Company to Northeast Drinks Group, a Vermont-based company, for 20 million dollars. According to executive David Mandler, the group was founded specifically in order to procure Vermont Hard Cider Company, and all employees and contracts will remain in place upon purchase.[9] The sale was officially completed in April 2021.[10]

Varieties

Woodchuck currently offers ten core styles available in either bottles or cans, with the option to purchase a variety pack that comes with a combination of flavors. The company also offers a low calorie variety pack containing four fruit-flavored ciders, as well as a single cider in the company's 802 Collection, a product line that focuses on using solely Vermont-sourced apples at all levels of productions.[11]

All Woodchuck ciders are made from apples and other fruits, and are therefore gluten-free as there is no grain involved in production process.[12]

Core styles

Other styles

Limited releases

Beginning in 2008, Woodchuck released multiple limited-edition products that corresponded with the time of year. In 2018, the seasonal releases were scrapped as Woodchuck unveiled the Tank Series, a line of limited-release ciders that would enter the market for roughly four months before being replaced with a new product.

Private reserves

Woodchuck's Private Reserve line was first unveiled in 2010 with the launch of Private Reserve Pumpkin, a hard cider which they claimed to be the world's first pumpkin cider.[16] Other releases include the Private Reserve Barrel Select, a product aged for six months in oak bourbon barrels along with a Woodchuck Belgian White, a cider that's produced using Belgian beer yeast.[17] [18]

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Cider company plans big expansion . Addison County Independent . 21 November 2011 . 24 November 2011 . Flowers, John . 28 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171228001142/http://www.addisonindependent.com/201111cider-company-plans-big-expansion . dead .
  2. News: Nason. Adam. Green Mountain Beverage unveils new company name. 1 December 2011. beernews.org. 5 August 2011.
  3. News: Becker. Maki. Mayer Bros. hard cider soured by lawsuit. 29 November 2011. Buffalo News. 27 August 2011.
  4. News: Schultz. E.J.. Cider Seen as Next 'Craft' Brew as Sales Climb 25% This Year. 1 December 2011. Advertising Age. 28 November 2011.
  5. Web site: July 23, 2015. Woodchuck Hard Cider takes on the big guns. December 27, 2017. USA Today.
  6. Web site: Narula. Svati Kirsten. September 23, 2014. The fastest-growing alcoholic beverage in the US isn't a beer, wine, or spirit. December 27, 2017. Quartz.
  7. Web site: 2018-02-22. Woodchuck Cider ends relationship with Pabst. 2021-03-03. Vermont Business Magazine. en.
  8. News: Scott. Mark. 23 October 2012. Owner of Woodchuck Cider Approves Sale to Irish Rival. Dealbook. 23 October 2012.
  9. Web site: D'Ambrosio. Dan. Woodchuck Hard Cider bought for bargain price by Vermont-based firm, plans to add jobs. 2021-04-19. The Burlington Free Press. en-US.
  10. Web site: Northeast Drinks Group completes purchase of Vermont Cider Company Vermont Business Magazine. 2021-04-19. vermontbiz.com.
  11. Web site: Our Ciders. 2021-03-03. Woodchuck Cider. en.
  12. Web site: Russell . Annie . Cider Week Highlights Rapid Growth Of Vermont's Hard Cideries . Vermont Public Radio . November 16, 2014 . December 27, 2017.
  13. Web site: 2011-02-20. Woodchuck Spring Cider recently released. 2021-03-03. BeerPulse. en-US.
  14. Web site: 2019-02-05. Vermont Cider Co. to Release Woodchuck Belgian White. 2021-03-03. Brewbound. en-US.
  15. Web site: Just in time for Fall Woodchuck® Releases Pumpkin. 2021-03-03. Woodchuck Cider. en.
  16. Woodchuck Hard Cider Unveils First EVER Pumpkin Cider . PRLog . 7 September 2010. 2011-12-01.
  17. Web site: 2012-11-26. Woodchuck Private Reserve Barrel Select Returns to Store Shelves. 2021-03-03. Brewbound. en-US.
  18. Woodchuck Cider Announces Belgian White, a Private Reserve Cider . brewhound.com . 21 February 2012 . 8 May 2012.

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