Local cidery receives top honors at international competition
(04-22-15) – Liberty Ciderworks, based in downtown Spokane, received numerous awards including four Silver Medals, a Gold Medal and “Best in Class” honors at the recent Great Lakes International Cider and Perry (GLINTCAP) event. GLINTCAP, held annually in Grand Rapids Michigan, is the world’s largest cider competition.
The top award was given to the firm’s ‘Stonewall’ cider, a product aged in Dry FlyTM whiskey barrels. The category in which Stonewall was entered featured 193 entries, with Liberty’s cider placing first. Across all commercial categories, only three ciders earned a “Best in Class” distinction among 480 total entries from around the globe.
“We were floored when we saw the results for Stonewall,” said Rick Hastings, co-owner and head cidermaker at Liberty. “We’ve had great feedback from customers and our peers, but this is about as big an honor as anyone gets in the cider business. It’s a big-league win for us, for our growers, and for our friends at Dry Fly Distillery.”
The firm’s Silver Medals were won with its Kingston Black SV, a single-varietal cider made with fruit from Steury Orchards in Potlatch, Idaho; Macintosh SV, another single-varietal made with fruit gathered at Bishop Orchards in Garfield, Washington; its dry-hopped ‘Turncoat’ cider, and its unique, port-style Manchurian Crabapple cider.
Hard cider is the fastest-growing segment in today’s beverage industry, with sales over the past few years rising at a 70% annual pace. Membership in the Northwest Cider Association, an industry group promoting small-scale cideries across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia, has gone from 18 to 56 cideries in the last 18 months, with many more in the planning stage.
Liberty Ciderworks products are currently sold statewide, with all production taking place in its small downtown Spokane facility.
For more information on Liberty Ciderworks or on GLINTCAP, visit the company’s page on Facebook at /LibertyCider, navigate to http://glintcap.org, or contact either of the firm’s owners below.
Contacts:
Liberty Ciderworks
Rick Hastings, Owner, Cidermaker 164 S. Washington, Suite 300 Spokane, WA 99201
Voice: 509-499-9191 rick@libertycider.com
Austin Dickey, Owner, Business Manager 164 S. Washington, Suite 300
Spokane, WA 99201
Voice: 509-599-3783 austin@libertycider.com