What is ‘white cider’?

The Conservatives plan to raise taxes on high-strength, low-cost drinks like “white cider” — but what exactly is it?

Corks are popping across Britain’s drinks sector after Chancellor Philip Hammond announced the government will freeze taxes on beer, cider, wine and spirits in the Autumn Statement.

But Tories are taking aim at high-strength, low-cost drinks like White Cider, with plans to raise excise duties on these products in 2019.

Excessive alcohol consumption by the most vulnerable people is all too often through cheap high street, low quality products, especially so-called ‘white ciders’,” Hammond said, name-checking a campaign on the issue led by Fiona Bruce, the MP for Congleton.

The news is music to the ears of the drinks sector, but it’s caused plenty of confusion on social media, with many asking what the Chancellor means by “White Cider.”

According to recipe4all.com, “White Cider” is a made by processing cider after the traditional brewing process is complete, resulting in a nearly white product. This processing allows the manufacturer to produce strong (typically 7-8% ABV) cider cheaply, quickly, and on an industrial scale, often from poor raw materials.

A unit of alcohol is defined in the UK as 10ml of alcohol – that amount is contained in a half pint of fairly weak (3.5% ABV [alcohol by volume]) beer; a medium glass (175ml) of 12% ABV wine would contain about 2 units.

Just to clarify: high-strength ciders refers to between 6.9% and 7.5% abv #Budget2017

— Daniel Woolfson (@WoolfsonEats) November 22, 2017

Typically, White Cider ranges between 6.9% and 7.5% ABV. A pint of the stuff, then, contains around four or five units.

In 2011, a report by charity Alcohol Concern picked up by the Guardian found that profit margins on white cider are significantly larger than those on other alcoholic drinks, thanks to tax breaks designed to help traditional British cider makers.

At the time of the report, the Treasury took 32p in Value Added Tax (VAT) and duty on the sale of an 85p can of White Ace, leaving a remainder of 53p.

However, a super-strength lager such as Kestrel sold for £1.20 a can, of which the Treasury takes £1.04, leaving 16p.

This is because the March 2011 Budget raised duty on beers above 7.5% ABV by 25%, cutting the duty on weak beers (2.8% and less) at the same time.

Following the rise in alcohol tax in the budget, cider up to 7.5% in strength attracts a lower rate of duty than standard 4% beer or lager, meaning drinks makers can mass produce white cider and sell it cheap to the consumer.

In Iceland, you can buy a 3L bottle of Frosty Jack’s Original Apple Cider (7.5% ABV) for £3.59; just shy of £1.20 per litre, or just over 60p per pint.

Politicians have long criticised the rock-bottom price of White Cider. In March 2017, Conservative MP Fiona Bruce launched a campaign calling on the government to take action to address the devastating harms caused to young and vulnerable people by cheap, high strength alcohol.

In an open letter to the chancellor, Bruce said that she was “shocked” to hear of the impact cheap high-strength alcohol has on vulnerable people.

Love it or hate it, White Cider has had a place in people’s hearts for years, and is particularly popular with students. Even BBC politics editor Laura Kuenssberg has fond memories of the beverage.

Duty going up on white cider (memories of Diamond White many years ago), duties on other booze stay the same so, ‘Merry Christmas Mr Deputy Speaker’

— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) November 22, 2017

In March 2017, a Treasury report explained that the government is creating new categories for alcoholic drinks based on strength in a bid to encourage producers to make products with lower alcoholic volumes.

Several supermarkets have jumped on the lower alcohol trend in recent months, with both Aldi and Tesco expanding their drinks ranges to include weaker varieties.