The awards recognize Botanist & Barrel’s ongoing work with dry, native fermented cider made from Southern fruit. Based in Cedar Grove with a tasting bar in downtown Asheville, Botanist & Barrel is known for farm driven ciders and wines made with minimal intervention, natural bubbles, and a deep commitment to local agriculture.

Forager’s Delight, which took home Platinum, is a small batch natural cider built from carefully selected Southern apples and fermented with native yeast. It reflects the cidery’s belief that cider can be complex, food friendly, and deeply expressive of place.

Sugar Hollow Daybreak, which received Silver in the same category, continues that story with fruit from Hickory Nut Gap’s Sugar Hollow orchard. The cider captures the freshness, texture, and character of apples grown in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

“To have two ciders recognized in the Natural Cider category means a lot to us,” said Lyndon Smith, co founder of Botanist & Barrel. “This is the work we care most about. Real fruit. Native fermentation. No shortcuts. We want people to understand that Southern cider can stand beside great wine and tell a story that belongs completely to this region.”

Botanist & Barrel farms and manages fruit across North Carolina and works directly with small growers, foragers, and orchard partners. The team focuses on cider and wine that is dry, unfiltered, naturally fermented, and rooted in transparency.

“We are not trying to make cider that tastes like somewhere else,” Smith said. “We are trying to show what this place tastes like when you give the fruit room to speak.”

The award winning ciders are available through Botanist & Barrel’s Cedar Grove farm, Asheville tasting bar, select wholesale partners, and online where shipping is available.