A bit of news from the Northwest Cider Association…

Eight Northwestern cideries took home gold medals at the Awards Party for the Northwest Cider Association’s 5th Annual Portland International Cider Cup (PICC) last night. For the second year running, a cidery from Montana, Western Cider Company, took home the competition’s highest honor and Cup– the Best In Show Award.

The party, hosted at Portland Cider Company’s Clackamas event space, drew 150 cidermakers and cider fans, celebrated ciders crafted in the Pacific Northwest, the largest cider market in the US for consumption and home to quarter of the country’s cidermakers.  The competition, which was hosted at Square Mile Cider on April 9, increased by 150% this year, growing to over 150 ciders from over 40 cideries in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, and featured 45 experienced industry judges.

Within the 14 categories sampled, judges found ciders in eight categories worthy of gold medals:

• Western Cider Co, Montana – McIntosh (Heritage Dry) – Best of Show

• Montana Ciderworks, Montana – North Fork Traditional (Modern Sweet) – Runner up, Best of Show

• Square Mile, Oregon – Spur and Vine (Hopped)

• Square Mile, Oregon – Ginger Pear (Spiced/Herbed)

• Swift Cider, Oregon – Peach Oak (Wood/Oaked)

• 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Oregon – Traditions 2015 Riverwood (Modern Dry)

• 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Oregon – Flight of the Kiwi (Fruit)

• Eden Valley Orchards, Oregon – Pear House Cider (Modern Perry)

 These eight ciders went on to compete in the Best of Show round, in which the head judges from each table found the McIntosh to be the best of the best.

Western Cider Company also won the the Best New Cidery award which carried with it a $500 prize, and awards were given to 2 Towns Ciderhouse in Corvallis, OR and Montana Ciderworks in Darby, MT respectively as Large and Small Cideries of the year. Visit nwcider.com for the full list of medalists and past cup winners.