Scilly Cider® is grown, pressed and crafted at Carn Friars Farm on St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly. From our coastal orchards, we grow and harvest the apples and pears before pressing, fermenting and bottling on the farm.
What began with planting orchard rows has grown into a passion for producing authentic island cider using traditional methods and carefully selected fruit varieties. Today, Scilly Cider® produces juices, ciders and aged cider brandies that reflect the character, landscape and slower pace of life on the islands.
Growing The Orchard
The orchards now include more than 2,000 trees and over 45 varieties of apples and pears, including traditional vintage cider apples, dessert apples and a range of pears.
Grown specifically for the Scilly Cider® range, the orchards sit close to the Atlantic shoreline on St Mary’s, where the island climate and coastal conditions help shape the character of the fruit throughout the seasons.
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Pressing the Fruit
Harvest takes place during the autumn months, when handpicked apples and pears are brought into the press room. Chosen and blended for balance, character, and consistency, the fruit is washed, milled and pressed on site using our belt press to produce fresh juice ready for fermentation.
Visitors joining one of our tours and tastings can see the press room and learn more about how we turn our island-grown fruit into cider.
Fermentation & Crafting
Once pressed, the juice is transferred into stainless steel tanks where carefully selected yeasts begin the fermentation process. Each batch is closely monitored as it ferments and matures, allowing time for the flavours and character of the fruit to develop before the cider is prepared for bottling.
Distilling & Ageing
A small proportion of our cider is sent across the water to SC Dogs Distillery on St Martin’s, where distiller Andrew Walder triple distils it to create our cider spirit. It then returns to Carn Friars Farm on St Mary’s, where it is filled into oak barrels and left to mature before becoming Scilly Cider Brandy®.
Our brandies are currently released at three and five years of age, allowing time in oak to develop their individual character and depth. From growing and pressing the fruit to distilling and ageing, every stage of the journey takes place here in the Isles of Scilly.