Drink up your cider Bristol . . . Dry Blackthorn will taste dry again
The original recipe for Dry Blackthorn cider will be coming back to the South West after a successful campaign by cider drinkers.
Gaymers introduced a new recipe for the popular drink a year ago but faced a major backlash in the Greater Bristol area.
Advertising billboards for the re-launched drink were vandalised by alcoholic apple juice purists who didn't like the new sweeter taste.
A number of groups were set up on the social networking website Facebook criticising the change, calling for a boycott of the drink and petitioning for it to return to the original taste.
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Groups like "The New Bad Taste Of Blackthorn", "I Want My Blackthorn Back!" and "Boycott Blackthorn" attracted thousands of members, who found creatively offensive ways to express their distaste.
After a year of bad publicity Gaymers has finally relented, and agreed to return to the original recipe in the South West.
Facebook campaigners were told about the U-turn at a private meeting this week.
Bob Cork, Gaymers master cider maker, said: "We hold our hands up and admit that we underestimated the passion people have in the South West for Dry Blackthorn.
"Before we changed the recipe 12 months ago we conducted extensive customer research, both locally and nationally, and many cider drinkers told us they liked the new taste.
"However, once it was launched it became clear that cider drinkers in the South West wanted the original back.
""It's true that the version which launched last year has proved a success nationally, but it seems the South West knows what it likes, and we're delighted to be bringing back the original."South West pubs on Friday, March 26, with the same version available in cans shortly afterwards.
Comments
by Barry, Bristol
Friday, May 14 2010, 2:12PM
“Where is it? It said in the Bristol Evening Post weeks ago that the original Dry Blackthorn cider was back in Bristol. So far, I have been unable to find any - we have looked in Tesco's, Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Co-op, Asda and some smaller shops too, but there has been no sign of it anywhere! They all seem to have large stocks of the "new" unimproved version hanging around, but none of the original stuff at all.
This has all been a huge anti-climax - it's high time Gaymers got themselves better organised.
Barry”
by Bill Darlington, Scotland
Friday, March 12 2010, 10:22PM
“Going back to the previous recipe won't help because that was awful too. I used to drink the original DB but stopped when they relaunched with the black label and new recipe. I took bottles back to the supermarket because I thought they were 'off'. I scoured the shops for the remaining stocks of the old ones for a while.
Oh, and the South West is no good to me here in Scotland!”
by nick cole, Kingswood
Saturday, March 06 2010, 7:00PM
“Sorry mate! Sod out to C&C tha company that makes Magners, Cider Ain't Irish, and it dont come with ICE!!!!!, I saw the Campaign a year ago, and 600 hundred people were survayed nationwide lol! i knew that many here on a saturday at football, Bob Cork made a massive mistake, for Gaymer. selling out, it was a great Cider, and did'nt need fixing! but Now Natch is even on Draught, stowford, thatchers Gold (forget the slush Gimmick) and more and more have gone back to Taunton Trad(cloudy) and Chedder vally (red), even wetherspoon saw the opening, got the westons on the go! the possative side, is that anywhere that only sell Blackthorne only may get to use the taps, and i wont have to get a bottle of newcastle brown!!
All in all it will take a long time for me to go back and desert, the true master cider makers, that stood by us, with value and taste and never sold out to marketing machines, that can sell TRADITIONAL IRISH CIDER (wtf did that come form) And a tip for the Day, if your gonna Market cider Forget the Frigging ICE, n chuck in a slice”
by Chris, outabristolnowadays
Saturday, March 06 2010, 5:48PM
“Good news and I am pleased that this was one campaign that got the result it deserved. But.........now I have got my local pubs up here in the midlands to sell Thatchers, I think I am going to be pushing my luck to get them to go back to Black..... so I will treasure my Thatchers while up here and delight in the Blackthorn when I'm down in Bristol.
Thanks Tony Wilkins &Co for your persistance.”
by ronny, bristol
Saturday, March 06 2010, 2:29PM
“About time too. Them tastetesters should never have dabbled with the original receipe. Best bet is ship the muck they are currently selling in Bristol, off to London. Bring back the old.”
by Dorothy Fussell, Bulgaria
Saturday, March 06 2010, 1:32PM
“Wonderful, shame I cannot be there to sample some. May have to book a flight soon!!”
by Giovanni Tamerelli, The Wood
Saturday, March 06 2010, 8:23AM
“I never thought I'd see Dry Blackthorn likened to Tony Blair!
Truly bizarrrrrrre!”
by Nathan Atch, Ciderland
Saturday, March 06 2010, 12:44AM
“Get on the NATCH cos Blackthorn sold out did`nt they . Just like Tony Blair.”
by terry the odd job man, southmead
Friday, March 05 2010, 11:23PM
“Im proper chuffed like. im so happy that ive created 'thorn i up landlord day' on march 20th. Check the event on facebook.”
by leesy1, pethy
Friday, March 05 2010, 9:00PM
“its been over a year since my last taste and i for one will be picking back up my blackthorn glass and asking the landlord to fill it up once again cant bloody wait for the 26th march as tony says its BR day time for the southwest to open our arms and embrace the cold fizzy dry pint once more,YOUR FORGIVEN GAYMERS now dont do it again”