Chiddigstone Bone Dry is brewed by the Castle Cider company in Sevenoaks, Kent. Served at the Spotted Dog in Penshurst and to my knowledge, no other pub in the area, this 7.5%er certainly packs a powerful punch. It has a crisp, light appearance and certainly does not taste like a strong cider. It has an almost champagne-like appearance and is dry and has a pleasant aftertaste of elderflower. This is the cider for dry cider afficianados. It has everything a dry cider could want to have, aroma, a long palate, beautiful light effervescence and a pale almost ghostly colour.
Unfortunately it is not a commercial cider so is not available in any shops and there are no commercial ciders to compare it to so there is a certain je ne c’est-qoi about it, rather like the holy grail. Furthermore, the pub is accessible only by motor vehicle as it located the Weald of Kent, miles from public transport and conurbation. Furnish yourself with a driver, or a £150 mile round trip from south london. enjoy.
Review contributed by Bobban.