A Magazine Celebrating the Region’s Wine and Craft Beverages
WINE | SPIRITS | BEER | CIDER | MEAD
Awestruck
Established 2013
$8 for (4) 5-oz tastes
$10 per person;
10,000+ cases
Patricia Wilcox and
Derek Tallman and
AT AWESTRUCK, THEIR NAME is their mission. They craft hard ciders that will leave you, well…awestruck! They have an insatiable thirst for tweaking, testing, and experimenting with apple varietals, yeast species, and botanical ingredients to push the boundaries of hard cider.
Awestruck’s three flagships are each unique, yet approachable. Hibiscus Ginger is rose-colored, fizzy and subtly spicy; Lavender Hops is crafted by steeping cider with pounds of culinary dried lavender and citrusy hop varietals, and is at once deeply aromatic and juicy; and Dry Apple + Oak captures the essence of artisanal fermentation – clean, faintly woody, subtly fruity, and deeply evocative of early autumn in upstate New York.
After years working as contractors to fund their appetite for travel and discover new tastes, Casey Vitti and Patti Wilcox returned to their hometown of Walton, NY to found Awestruck in 2013. Inspired by the abundance of fresh, delicious apples throughout the Hudson Valley, they created Awestruck Ciders to blend their home region’s apple growing heritage with their favorite flavors from around the world.
Savor This
Awestruck Cider has won a Best Cider Award at NY’s Best Fest two years running, and was voted the People’s Choice Best Cidery at Adirondack Wine Festival 2019! Visit the taproom to try eleven specialty ciders on draught and enjoy guided tastings and tours of the production facility. Order a charcuterie board to pair with a flight and take a seat on the indoor vintage school bus!
Awestruck’s true passion is creating new limited and seasonal offerings by experimenting with new ingredients to produce new tastes and experiences. They work with local orchardists and farmers to make all their ciders from pure, fresh-pressed New York state apples—never from concentrate, never watered down.
From its humble roots in a 2,000-square-foot renovated section of a local lumberyard in Walton, Awestruck has grown to an industrious team of seventeen employees, working collaboratively on all aspects of the business. As part of their recent expansion, Awestruck opened a taproom at their 8,000-square-foot production facility in Sidney, NY, which has evolved into a cozy bar-restaurant with seventeen rotating taps of unique and limited offerings along with a variety of local craft beers. You can taste one-off ciders, sit aboard a 1970s school bus and compose magnetic poetry on the walls and ceiling. You can also enjoy a small, comfort-food menu, designed to pair with Awestruck ciders and satisfy hungry customers.
Stay in the loop about everything Awestruck by following them on Facebook and Instagram where you’ll find updates on exclusive releases and events. Visit the website for information on where to find Awestruck in stores and farmers markets and festivals throughout the year.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Apples & Pears
Awestruck is excited to introduce this year’s new flavor – Apples & Pears! Apples & Pears is the classic juicy, fresh hard apple cider you crave, elevated by the subtle sweetness of succulent pear. Apples & Pears—a dynamic duo, handpicked and pressed into one enticing refreshment.
This cider is so deliciously fresh, you can almost hear the crisp crack of biting into a tart, just-picked apple and feel the pear juice running down your chin…or is that the 5.5.% ABV talking?
DIRECTIONS
Hours
YEAR-ROUND
Thurs–Sat: 3–10pm
Sun: 3–8pm
CLOSED
New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day
Staff Picks
CIDERS
- Apples & Pears
- Hibiscus Ginger
- Lavendar Hops
- Dry Apple + Oak
- Summer Sangria
- The Viking
- Hometown Homicider
- Winter Solstice
- Lovestruck
- Sugar & Spice
- Peach Ring
MEET THE OWNERS
Casey Vitti and Patti Wilcox
When Casey and Patti founded Awestruck, they set out to craft complex and captivating ciders. They had been enjoying ciders overseas for many years, and were excited by the new and different hard ciders cropping up throughout the United States. From sweet and juicy to dry and funky and everywhere in-between, they were captivated by the boundless variety of cider available. They saw cider as the perfect base from which to create their own blends, and by incorporating botanicals like hibiscus, ginger, lavender, and hops, they could share their passion for unique drinks inspired by their travels around the world.
Casey and Patti understand how intimidating it can be to new cider drinkers to have such a broad variety to choose from. To help people discover this fun and exciting beverage, they put descriptions and slider bars on every bottle of Awestruck so each person can pick their perfect hard cider right at the shelf.