This is Ireland.

This is Magners.

We love making cider, but we reckon there’s only one way to do it properly. That’s why we’re still taking inspiration from the historic methods we used when we started making cider back in 1935. That’s part of the Magners taste.

So in this way we use 17 varieties of apples, waiting until they drop before pressing and filtering them in the traditional way.

We take time to ferment the cider and even more time to let it mature, up to 2 years in fact, tasting it along the way.

Sure, there are faster ways of making cider, but then it wouldn’t be Magners.

We all need a bit of variety and that’s why we came up with the idea for Magners Pear. Of course, we like to do things properly and don’t mind taking our time, so unlike some Pear ciders, the only fruit that goes into ours is pears.

Only 100% premium quality pears, which are filtered to get rid of any impurities before being slowly fermented.

That’s what makes Magners Pear so fresh, fruity and full of flavor. So next time you’re out and wanting a bit of a change, pour a Magners Pear, sit back and enjoy.

Story

In the Beginning

Magners is the Irish Cider, and is the oldest Irish Cider, and today’s batches are made with the same recipe created by founder William Magner over 80 years ago. A countrywide favorite for celebrations and drinking rituals since its inception, Magners has come to be defined by authenticity, high-quality craftsmanship, and historically unique purity of taste.

In 1935, production began at Dowd’s Lane, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland by William Magner.  Clonmel “Cluain Meala” in gaelic means “The Valley of Honey”. The Brewery had previously belonged to the Murphy family. William brought along a cider press and a dozen oak barrels to take his first steps into making the world’s finest Irish Cider.

Story

A Strong partnership

The cider became so popular that William Magner went in search of some extra help and in 1937 – Joined forces with English cider maker H.P. Bulmer. “Bulmer Magners Ltd.” was founded between H.P. Bulmer and William Magner. The Magners-Bulmer partnership flourished so William Magner sold his cider in Ireland under the Bulmers trademark.

Story

Traditionally Pure Taste

By 1999, “Bulmers” cider had become so popular in Ireland they wanted to share it across the world. However W.M. Magners Ltd couldn’t use the Bulmers name outside Ireland, so they used William’s name instead, and that’s why it’s called Magners Original Irish Cider outside of Ireland.

From the beginning, Magners has crafted our ciders with care, patience, and an eye towards purity and flavor.

Process

From orchard to cidery

Magners has been made in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland since 1935. Our Ciders are made with 17 varieties of apples, including apples sourced from our own 150 acres of orchards and from orchards all over Ireland. Our apples make the trek to the new Magners Cidery that is just down the road from the old Magners Cidery and Vat House that has stood in the heart of Clonmel on Dowd’s Lane since the beginning.

The process of grove to glass begins in early October with “The Crush” when the apples are gathered. Unlike most brands which remove the fruit from trees according to a production schedule, the makers of Magners wait until the apples themselves are ready. Harvesters then gently shake the branches and wait for the apples to fall, fully ripened to the ground.

Process

A cultivated palate

The Cider apples we use provide unique characteristics while balancing the acidity and sharpness which helps to preserve the rich apple flavor and deliver Magners signature dry taste. As a result, Magners ciders have a delicate balance of sweetness, acidity and astringency combined with a very robust apple flavor from the fresh apples used. By contrast, many commercial English ciders use 100% juice concentrate, which produces significantly less flavor.

After the fruit is weighed and checked for type and quality, the apples pass through a water bath and flow along streams of water to the presses where they are reduced to a pulp, and the juices are extracted.

Process

Taking time for better taste

The freshly pressed apple juice – which is slightly cloudy at this time – flows to a small vat where it picks up a propriety yeast strain that comes from the original vats from 1935 and is still preserved for use in the ciders today.

After fermentation, which takes place at between 18 to 24 degrees Celsius, the cider is repeatedly filtered to achieve a unique purity. Many other bottled ciders are pasteurized at this stage instead, but then most ciders aren’t fermented using yeast strains from famed original oak vats at Dowd’s Lane dating back to 1935 either. Their loss.

The liquid, which is almost the finished product, is then matured for a minimum of a year up to two years, which shows Magners’ commitment to making the perfect cider.

Why Irish apples? Why the long process? Why in the dark? Because it just tastes better.

A time-honored tradition

Once our tasters consider the cider fully matured, the liquid is carefully blended with other ciders to produce the consistent product that consumers enjoy. The cider is chilled, filtered a final time and then carbonated, and Magners Original Cider is ready for packaging and to be shipped around the world.

This is the storied process of creating great cider that has been used for more than 80 years in Clonmel, Ireland. Magners has been committed to using this process throughout the years as it is what makes Magners the highest quality and overall best cider. Sure, there are faster, easier ways of making cider – but then it wouldn’t be Magners.