🍏 Cider spirit and perry spirit
Distilled cider or perry (EU category 10): from 37.5% vol., no flavourings; 9 protected names, calvados among them.
Cider spirit and perry spirit are spirit drinks made only by distilling cider (fermented apple juice) or perry (fermented pear juice). In the EU this is category 10: at least 37.5% vol., with no added alcohol and no flavourings. The best-known example is calvados from Normandy, with Breton eau-de-vie de cidre close behind.
Cider or perry is distilled below 86% vol. so that the aroma and taste come from the fruit. Volatile substances must reach at least 200 g per hectolitre of pure alcohol, and methanol may not exceed 1,000 g/hl. Flavouring is forbidden, although this does not rule out traditional production methods. Colour may be adjusted only with caramel.
There are three legal names: “cider spirit” for cider alone, “perry spirit” for perry alone and “cider and perry spirit” for a mix of both. Sweetening is allowed to round off the taste, but the drink may contain no more than 15 g per litre, expressed as invert sugar.
The EU register eAmbrosia lists 9 geographical indications in this category. Seven are French: Calvados, Calvados Pays d'Auge, Calvados Domfrontais, Eau-de-vie de cidre de Bretagne, Eau-de-vie de cidre de Normandie, Eau-de-vie de cidre du Maine and Eau-de-vie de poiré de Normandie. The other two are Aguardiente de sidra de Asturias from Spain and Somerset Cider Brandy from England.
Why it matters to you. Do not confuse the spirit with cider: cider is only the raw material, while the bottled spirit holds at least 37.5% alcohol. “Perry spirit” on a label means pears only. WHO: there is no safe level of alcohol.
Facts
| EU category | 10 |
|---|---|
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 37.5 % vol. |
| Raw material | cider, perry or both |
| Distillation method | distillation below 86 % vol. |
| Region | Normandy, Brittany, Maine, Asturias, Somerset |
| Registered | 9 GIs in the EU register; Calvados and Eau-de-vie de cidre de Bretagne since 1989 |
How it connects to Spirits
🍏 Cider spirit and perry spirit → kind of → 🍎 Fruit brandies → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Alcoholic fermentation, 🍷 Yeast
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel, 🍷 Wine label
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol, 🍬 Sugar
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 French
- Part of
- 🍎 Fruit brandies
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Calvados, 🥃 Cognac, 🥃 Brandy, 🥃 Poire Williams (Williams pear spirit), 🥃 Vas wild pear pálinka (Vasi vadkörte pálinka), 🥃 Szabolcs apple pálinka (Szabolcsi Almapálinka), 🥃 Madaras quince pálinka (Madarasi birspálinka), 🥃 Breton whisky (Whisky de Bretagne), 🥃 Nagykunság quince pálinka (Nagykunsági birspálinka)
- In other topics
- 🗺️ Spanish wine
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that calvados is simply strong cider?
No. Calvados is distilled cider — a category 10 spirit of at least 37.5% vol. with a protected geographical name. Cider itself is only the raw material.
How does perry spirit differ from cider spirit?
Perry spirit is distilled only from perry, fermented pear juice; cider spirit only from cider. When both are distilled, the legal name is cider and perry spirit.
Can sugar be added to cider spirit?
Yes, but only to round off the taste: the finished drink may hold no more than 15 g of sweetening products per litre, expressed as invert sugar.
Can cider spirit be coloured?
Only with caramel, to adjust the colour. Regulation (EU) 2019/787 bans flavourings and any added alcohol, diluted or not.
Where are protected cider spirits made?
The eAmbrosia register lists 9 names: seven French (Normandy, Brittany, Maine), Spain's Aguardiente de sidra de Asturias and England's Somerset Cider Brandy.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🗺️ Spanish wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
- 🍷 Alcoholic fermentation — Yeast eats the sugar in the must and releases alcohol and carbon dioxide.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
Similar
🥃 Fruit spirit · 🥃 Mirabelle (mirabelle plum spirit) · 🍓 Geist · 🥃 Poire Williams (Williams pear spirit) · 🥃 Slivovitz (šljivovica) · 🥃 Kirsch (Kirschwasser)
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks (OJ L 130, 17.5.2019), Annex I
- eAmbrosia (EU register): Eau-de-vie de cidre de Bretagne, spirit drink GI (EUGI00000014217)
- eAmbrosia — EU register of geographical indications, public API (spirit drinks, query 2026-10-23)
- Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex III: geographical indications of spirit drinks (consolidated at 31.01.2020)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)