Highbank Orchards is open to the public, but call ahead and let Rod and Julie know that you would like to visit. It's easy to reach with a car, just outside Kilkenny. We happened to show up at the same time as a chef who they had invited to the orchard, so were lucky to be treated to a tractor-pulled tour. Rod is zealous about his adherence to organic farming and is a bottomless pit of knowledge about the ecosystem here - he explained in detail why the orchard runs best when left to its own devices, including details such as the benefits of letting grass grow beneath the trees and housing his own bee colony for pollination. They juice the apples and let nature take over - no yeast added, and the natural yeast that is everywhere (yes, everywhere) takes over. The results are magical: their cider is amazing. They feature a dry real cider and a honeyed Medieval Cider, both of which were excellent, and the latter of which is smoother for sipping (though they are emphatic that cider should be enjoyed with food!) They also create a unique and tantalizing apple syrup and numerous spirits, distilled onsite - incredibly smooth vodka as well as brandy and other amazingly good potions that you just have to try. Some of the local restaurants serve their ciders and syrups, and we found ourselves hunting down Highbank products for the rest of our visit to Ireland.
Rod and Julie are a brilliant team and we really enjoyed our visit - we plan to stop by the next time we are in Ireland! read more
