Bittersweet · 22 trees planted · confidence high
A Somerset chance seedling that became probably the most widely planted bittersweet cider apple worldwide, classed as a medium bittersweet under Long Ashton. It gives a traditional amber English cider with rich apple flavor, soft tannins and slight bitterness, and it is one of the few genuinely late varieties with low enough acidity to serve as a blend base. In WSU trials it carried the highest tannin of the bittersweets tested but the lowest sugar, so expect modest ABV from PNW fruit and blend for gravity.
Disease: Some scab susceptibility; resistant to powdery mildew and canker; highly susceptible to fireblight. Slow to come into bearing, and fruit drops as soon as it ripens, so plan for prompt or windfall collection. WSU rates productivity 3.7/5 with a spreading habit and large fruit (2.74 in).
Discrepancies: Biennial: this is the largest conflict in the set - every English and nursery source describes a strong biennial tendency, but WSU Mt Vernon recorded no alternate bearing across 2002-2017. Recommended low per WSU as climate-local, though it warrants local observation before relying on it. Bloom: pomiferous puts it in group C (mid) while US nurseries call it late; WSU's 5/13 splits the difference - recommended 4. Harvest: UK sources say very late (Oct-Nov) vs WSU 9/26 - recommended late Sep per WSU.