Merridale Craft Cider
Each of our ciders is balanced and crisp, expressing the full character of the fruit, the land and the passion behind the craft. The story of our cider begins in our orchards where traditional cider apples are grown and hand-picked at their peak. Every batch is pressed, fermented and bottled on our farm, without any added flavours, colours or chemicals.
Our Ciders
Click on the buttons or pictures below to explore each of our ciders.
What’s the difference between cans and plastic bottles?
Our on-the-go cans are pasteurized, meaning they’re shelf-stable, resilient, and perfect for tossing into a backpack or cooler without a second thought. Rather than a harsh, industrial pasteurization, we use a slow, gentle process to preserve all those beautiful, nuanced flavours without that “cooked” taste.
On the other hand, our one-litre Alive Cider bottles are just that—alive. They’re unpasteurized, and must be kept chilled to maintain their bright, fresh personality.
We chose plastic bottles because they’re lighter to transport, tougher in your tote, and, most importantly, locally made and recyclable right here on Vancouver Island. Unlike glass, which travels the globe to get here and to be recycled, our plastic is a lighter footprint in more ways than one.
So, whether you’re chasing sunsets with a can in hand or pouring from a fridge-cold litre at the dinner table, you’re sipping something crafted with care, intention, and a whole lot of love for this Island we call home.
How Its Made
Distillation is a dance–part art, part science. Our skilled master distiller, Laurent Lafuente, choreographs the show. At centre stage is a hand-hammered copper pot still turning our apples, BC honey, wild botanicals and other fine ingredients into aromatic brandies, gins, rhumbs (rum), vodka, and fortified spirits.
Award-winning Craft Ciders and Spirits
Gold for Best Small Batch Single Malt
Cowichan Valley, BC – Merridale Cidery & Distillery is proud to announce that Whisky Jacks has been awarded Gold for Best Small Batch Single Malt at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards—a moment of great pride and deep meaning for our team and community.
Other awards include:
