Maiden Mill was set up by three friends in Evercreech, near Shepton Mallet, with one goal: make alcohol-free cider that tastes like proper cider. That sounds simple. It isn't, because most of what makes cider taste like cider — the tannin structure, the apple character, the mouthfeel — is hard to preserve when you take the alcohol out. Their starting point is a bittersweet base containing traditional Somerset varieties: Dabinett, Somerset Redstreak, Yarlington Mill, Harry Masters Jersey, and Jonagold. These are orchard apples bred for cider, not eating, and they bring the kind of tannic grip and complexity that dessert apple juice never quite manages. The Flyer pours hazy and golden. On the nose it has that vintage cider quality: aged apple, a hint of funk, and something earthy that signals the real thing. On the palate the tannins follow through — bold but not harsh — balanced by sweetness from the apple juice concentrate and a finishing acidity from the malic acid addition that stops it tasting flat or cloying. At 25 kcal per 100ml and 0.5% ABV, it sits in the alcohol-free legal category. It is vegan and gluten-free.