Thistly Cross Cider pops up on board Scottish ferries

Award-winning cider manufacturer, Thistly Cross Cider is hitting the high seas with a pop-up sampling tour of the Hebrides, as part of Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight.

The East Lothian craft cider maker is toasting its new partnership with Caledonian MacBrayne Ferries with a series of samplings on board six of the ferry operator’s Taste of Scotland accredited vessels. The pop-up tasting events will take place between 14th and 16th Sept on a sampling tour that takes in a number of the Hebridean Isles including Islay, Mull, Skye, Harris and Lewis.

Thanks to the recent listing with Bidvest Logistics, three craft cider varieties (Traditional, Real Elderflower and Real Strawberry) from Thistly Cross’ range will be stocked aboard all ten Taste of Scotland accredited Caledonian MacBrayne vessels.

Caledonian MacBrayne’s Onboard Development Manager, Anne Mitchell said, ‘We have been working hard recently to increase the amount of local produce we serve on board. A key part of our Taste our Best Award from Visit Scotland last year was demonstrating that we use more than 50% of local produce in our menus.

‘Thistly Cross will make a brilliant addition to the range of drinks available on board and help us towards achieving this goal. We don’t just stock local produce because it’s local, but because we believe it’s the best.’

Head Cidermaker, Peter Stuart said, “The Caledonian MacBrayne ferries are an icon of the west coast of Scotland and provide the gateway to many of the communities of Inverclyde and the Hebrides.

‘As Scotland’s foremost cider producer we are delighted to be able to take this opportunity to introduce our handmade ciders to a new customer base, locals and visitors alike, offering passengers aboard these ferries a real taste of Scotland as they journey to and from these islands”.