I'll have a Magners and Ice please (Magners Irish Cider)

Member Name: ChrisGeering

Product:	Magners Irish Cider
Date:	30/07/09 (92 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Refreshing apple flavour

Disadvantages: Expensive

I have been a fan of cider for the last couple of years and am a regular drinker of Magners original cider which is available in all supermarkets and commonplace in grocery stores. It is also widely available in pubs, typically as a 568 ml bottle, but if you are lucky sometimes on draught.

Product description: Magners is produced from "a blend of seventeen varieties of fresh apples to create the unique taste of magners irish cider". The alcoholic content of Magners is 4.5% volume.

Product packaging: The product is available in a variety of recyclable cans and bottles at supermarkets. These include:

- 4 x 500 ml cans
- 6 x 330 ml bottles
- A 568 ml bottle

I typically purchase the 568 ml bottle at my local pub. This bottle is dark brown in colour, which can be opened by means of a bottle opener which can remove a standard toothed bottle cap. The bottle has a golden foil neck which states "original" and contains a distinctive yellow and green label that has the recognisable Magners logo present.

Appearance: The cider itself is a fairly distinctive golden colour which has a reasonable amount of fizz but does not appear too gaseous. I usually drink Magners with a good proportion of ice which has a very appetising appearance, particularly on hot summer days (which have been very rare of late).

Smell: The apple smell from the cider is quite distinctive but is not too potent. The strength of the cider is a bit less than other brands of cider (e.g. Strongbow - 5.3%) and the alcohol smell is not so obvious.

Taste: Again due to the lower alcohol content, Magners is a bit sweeter than Strongbow and is much more palatable. The taste quenched the thirst somewhat with a refreshing apple flavour. I did not find the taste too acidic, which I have found can be a problem with Strongbow and the poorer quality, high alcohol ciders. I found that I can drink 2-3 bottles of Magners and not feel like my stomach is doing somersaults.

Price: At the pub, Magners is quite expensive and a 568 ml bottle or pint can range between £2.80 to £4.00 depending on the location. This is the main drawback in my opinion, and reflects how expensive it is to drink at pubs now.

Healthy?: Magners is an alcoholic beverage, so excessive consumption beyond the weekly recommended alcohol unit intake for men and women is not advised.

Overall: I enjoy the refreshing apple flavour of Magners with ice which is much more palatable than other brands (e.g. Strongbow). The next time I go to the pub I'll be ordering a Magners with ice, but watch out for the price though!

Summary: A nice drink for Summer (if we ever get another hot day this year)