Best Cider Shop is on Your Doorstep!

10 Feb 2011

The Jug & Bottle, a Bubwith-based specialist delicatessen and off licence, has yet another major national award to add to the many accolades it has received over the past few years.

At a glittering awards ceremony at The Dorchester Hotel in London last week, they beat the largest beer shop in the country and were crowned Independent Cider Retailer of the Year at the 10^th anniversary of The Drinks Retailing Awards -  one of the most widely anticipated and rigorously judged competitions in the trade’s calendar.

Despite husband and wife team, Doug & Louise Smith’s East Yorkshire independent shop being located a long way from cidermaking country, the brochure given out to all guests on the awards night stated; “It has become one of the best destination shops for the drink.  There are 7 regular draught ciders consistently on tap with up to a choice of 16 at any one time.  The line up is constantly changing so cider fans always have something new to try.”

All draught ciders are served in the shop's own branded jugs, and a blackboard menu makes ordering selections from the cellar a doddle.  There's also an extensive range of premium bottled cider brands on display, with the emphasis on niche and boutique products rather than the big brands that can be found in most supermarkets.

Add all that to the fact that, The Jug & Bottle has a stunning retail environment (it is located in the old Victorian school on Bubwith’s Main street, which the Smiths renovated themselves during 2008) with a deli, wine range and bottled beers ~ then as one of the judges said, “all that sounds like a cider nerd’s heaven!”

Louise commented; “We are delighted to be Independent Cider Retailer of 2011 and the runner-up in the Independent Beer Retailer category.  The very two categories which we are so passionate about the products that we sell! Not only have we worked really hard in the last year to beat the recession and continue to offer helpful and friendly customer service, but we also have some innovative approaches to the stocking and selling of our beers, real ales, ciders and Perry.  Very few retailers in the country dispense cider directly into jugs like we do and we always offer pre-purchase tasters of our draught ciders.  Our focus on microbrewers and non-supermarket products confirms our support for the grass roots of the industry.”

Finally as Nigel Huddleston, journalist for Off Licence News and a judge for the Drinks Retailing awards, stated; “Few shops do as much to champion cider, no matter what their size or location.”