Recently, the awards party for the Northwest Cider Association’s 2025 NW Cider Cup took place in Portland, highlighting many of the best ciders in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. I wasn’t able to attend the event like last year, but did watch the event live on Instagram.
The NWCA released the winner’s guide detailing the winning cideries, but here’s a quick summary, reaffirming my impressions from watching remotely:
This year the NWCA was also celebrating its 15th anniversary, having been founded in 2010. (The Cider Cup itself is at 12.) That’s a nice milestone to hit and I expect to see the organization stick around over the next 15 years.
Here’s the press release for the results:
Twelve years of celebrating the NW cider community
The Northwest Cider Association announces the winners of the 2025 Northwest Cider Cup Awards, the most prestigious cider competition in the region. Entering its 12th year, this annual competition has grown into one of North America’s most rigorous and respected cider judging events.
Celebrating the finest ciders from Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia, the Northwest Cider Cup showcases the Pacific Northwest’s exceptional craftsmanship and cider-making tradition. Ciders are judged by trained industry professionals who evaluate each entry based on appearance, aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel—honoring the best in each category with gold, silver, and bronze medals. Northwest Cider Cup celebrated winners at Holocene in Portland, Oregon on Thursday, June 26th.
2025 Best of Awards
- Best of Show: Empyrical (WA) Principle, High-Tannin Perries
- Best of Show Runner Up: Bauman’s Cider (OR) McIntosh Single Varietal, Single Varietal
- New Cidery of the Year Award: Olympic Bluffs Cidery (WA)
- Large Cidery of the Year: 2 Towns Ciderhouse (OR)
- Medium Cidery of the Year: Bauman’s Cider (OR)
- Small Cidery of the Year: Empyrical (WA)
By the numbers
- 231 entries were submitted, only 25% of cideries entered won
- 57 medals were awarded in 18 categories to 29 cideries
- Winners: 18 from Washington, 16 from Oregon, 2 from Idaho and 4 from British Columbia
- A full list of winners is available in the Winner’s Guide and www.nwcider.com/northwest-cider-cup/winners
Because the competition draws from such a large cross section of the Pacific Northwest, several trends emerged that will likely be mirrored in the cider market this coming year.
- High-Tannin Perries saw a 120% increase over the 2024 competition—a sign that specialty perries are gaining momentum. This growth reflects both a renewed commitment from cideries willing to experiment and the critical role of farmers cultivating rare, high-tannin pear varieties.
- The Specialty Fortified category saw continued expansion with 71% more entries in 2025 after growing 133% in 2024. While this continued trend shows an interest in a higher ABV cider, the low alcohol/alcohol removed category, while small is also increasing. Both trends indicate consumers are paying more attention to ABV.
- Entries in Low-Tannin Dry decreased 44%, a significant drop for the first time in many years.
- Fruit Post-Fermentation Addition Sweet remains the competition’s largest and most competitive category, up 10% this year to 43 entries. This category highlights the creativity of Northwest cider makers using a wide variety of fruits—and stands as a backbone of the region’s cider industry.
