Barrel aged apple cider vinegar

A blend of Oregon dessert and cider apples, fermented by the slow Orleans method and then rested in oak. Time in barrel adds depth and integration, and moves this vinegar well away from the raw, bright character of the fresh expressions.

The result is darker, rounder and more evolved than the Bittersweet. The oak adds structure. The apple is still underneath it all, but softened and deepened. Where the Bittersweet is sharp and immediate, this one is savoury and slow.

Fermentation and aging are not the same thing

We use the word aged only where it literally applies. This vinegar ferments fully first, which is the conversion of cider to vinegar, and only then goes into oak for its additional time. The Bittersweet and Marionberry expressions are fermented and bottled. They do not spend time in barrel, and we do not call them aged.

We do not put a number of years on it. The reserves are still growing, and we would rather let the vinegar say how long it has had than fix a figure on the label that we then have to work around.

How to use it

This is a finishing vinegar. It does its best work added at the end, a small amount over a finished dish, in the way you would reach for an aged balsamic rather than a cooking vinegar.

• Over roasted root vegetables, just before serving.
• A few drops to finish grilled fish.
• On a cheese board, particularly with the sharp and funky end of it.
• Stirred into beans or lentils at the last moment.
• A few drops over vanilla ice cream. The oak and apple work with cream far better than it sounds.

For drinking, dilute as with the other expressions, but start with half a tablespoon in 8 to 12 ounces of water rather than a full one. It is more concentrated than the fresh vinegars. Always dilute, and never drink it straight.

Ingredients

Raw apple cider vinegar with the mother. Aged in oak. Acidity minimum 5 percent.

Storage. Room temperature, out of direct sun. Shake before use to redistribute the mother.

Raw and unpasteurised, containing live cultures. Sediment and haze are natural. If you are pregnant, immunocompromised or managing a medical condition, talk to your healthcare provider before adding any vinegar to your routine.