Using a blend of naturally sweet, red dessert apples, including Pink Lady, Fuji and Gala, Thatchers Rosé is a sparkling Somerset cider.
With a 4% ABV, the cider has been launched in a 500ml bottle, following its introduction in a 440ml can at the end of 2018.
Thatchers head of on-trade Rob Sandall said: “Thatchers Rosé is the perfect addition to a pub’s cider range, introducing something brand new in premium bottled cider.
“It is a new and exciting sweet rosé cider that gives consumers just what they are asking for – a great tasting, characterful, sweeter, lower ABV cider that looks fantastic in the glass."
Cidermaking expertise
He added: “Rosé continues to demonstrate Thatchers’ total commitment to quality apple cider and cidermaking expertise.
“As with all our ciders, apple choice is hugely important to us so we have selected red dessert apples, including Pink Lady, Fuji and Gala, for their sweetness, aroma and quality.
“Consumer experience is key as we are seeing drinkers opt for higher quality throughout the category.
“The introduction of rosé gives pubs the chance to refresh their range of ciders in the fridge with a premium cider that is innovative and appeals to the sweeter taste of today’s drinkers."
Quality, taste and provenance
Sandall said: “With research showing 67% of cider drinkers say the choice of cider stocked in a pub is important in their decision of where to drink (according to CGA Brandtrack data from February 2018), pubs can really offer their customers something quite different with rosé, knowing it comes with Thatchers' quality, taste and provenance.”
Meanwhile, The Morning Advertiser revealed the average price of a pint of cider rose by 8p (2.2%) in the 12 months to 23 March 2018, to £3.68.
The data, revealed in Westons’ Cider Report, also showed fruit cider was expected to grow its share of the marketplace to 50% of on-trade sales within the next five years.
