Caledonian Cider Co
Caledonian Cider Co is cider at its northern frontier — a small independent cidery founded in 2014 by Ryan Sealey at Conon Bridge, near Dingwall just north of Inverness. The approach is strictly natural: only freshly pressed juice, fermented with the wild yeasts found on the apples and in the cidery, then matured in oak barrels at ambient temperature so the cold Highland winter gives a long, slow fermentation. Nothing is added — no sulphites, no sweeteners, nothing but apples and time — and the fruit comes from every locally grown apple they can get hold of, from garden trees to their own cider-apple orchards, which are among the most northerly in Europe.
This is the natural-wine end of Scottish cider — wild ferments, oak barrels, zero additives, and genuine Highland terroir. It's the polar opposite of supermarket cider, and distribution matches the philosophy: you'll mostly find it in hotels, pubs and restaurants around Inverness and the Black Isle rather than on shop shelves. If you're travelling in the Highlands and see it on a menu, order it.
The Caledonian Cider Co range
Ynis
The cider most often singled out in press coverage. Wine writer Rose Murray Brown described it as a 'smoky robust fizz with sweet rich undertones' and a 'striking burnished deep orange colour'. Like everything from this producer, it's wild-fermented from full juice with nothing added — no sulphites, no sweeteners. The wider range rotates with each year's apples and barrels.
Where to buy
Mostly sold through hotels, pubs and restaurants across the Highlands, particularly around Inverness and the Black Isle, with a small number of bottle stockists. Check the stockists page on their website for the current list.
Food pairings
- Game and venison
- Farmhouse and washed-rind cheeses
- Roast pork
- Smoked fish
The catch with Caledonian Cider Co is simply getting hold of it — this is a genuinely micro operation and the bottles rarely travel far south of Inverness. That scarcity is also part of the appeal: wild-fermented cider from some of Europe's most northerly cider orchards is not something you can replicate or mass-produce. Fans of natural wine and farmhouse cider will feel at home; anyone expecting a sweet fruity cider should look elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
+Where is Caledonian Cider made?
At Conon Bridge, near Dingwall on the edge of the Black Isle, just north of Inverness — making it one of the most northerly cideries in Europe. The company was founded there in 2014 by Ryan Sealey.
+What makes Caledonian Cider different?
It's fully natural cider: only freshly pressed juice (never from concentrate), fermented with wild yeasts from the apples and the cidery, matured in oak barrels at ambient temperature through the Highland winter, with no added sulphites, sweeteners or anything else. The producer describes it as containing 'no ingredients other than apples and time'.
+Is Caledonian Cider gluten-free and vegan?
Yes — the producer states all their ciders are gluten-free, suitable for vegans, and made with no added sulphites.
+Where can I buy Caledonian Cider?
Mostly in the Highlands — the ciders are sold through hotels, pubs and restaurants around Inverness, Dingwall and the Black Isle, with a stockist list on caledoniancider.com. Distribution outside the Highlands is very limited.
Other Scottish cider producers
Steilhead Cider
Steilhead Cider is the south-west's answer to proper farmhouse cider — Max and Penny Nowell have been making cider at Steilhead Cottage in Auldgirth, Nithsdale, about ten miles north of Dumfries, since 2013. The method is defiantly traditional: whole apples pressed for 100% fresh juice, fermented with nothing but the wild yeasts on the fruit (a process that can take up to a year), with no flavourings, sweeteners or sulphites added, and most bottles aged for up to two years before release. The fruit comes from their own orchard of around 60 trees and local growers, supplemented with Herefordshire cider apples while their own trees mature. Every cider in the range is named after a bird — Goldfinch, Siskin, Nuthatch, Bullfinch, Capercaillie, Swift & Swallow.
Thistly Cross Cider
Scotland's leading cidery, based at Wester Pencaitland in East Lothian. Founded in 2009 by Peter Stuart, Thistly Cross has grown to become one of the most-distributed Scottish craft cider brands — stocked across major UK supermarkets, with a substantial export presence. The Whisky Cask cider is particularly distinctive: aged in ex-Scotch barrels, it's an unusual hybrid that no other major UK producer makes at scale.
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