Distillery Lane Ciderworks

Awesome location with walking tour and a really nice proprietor. We spent a great hour tasting and touring. The ciders are drier and not sweet at all if that is your thing. We like ciders a bit sweeter but you can definitely taste the apples in the ciders and all the notes they say are there from oak to bourbon. Kids get samples of fresh cider when available and can play outside.

Delicious cider, wonderful apples, and a great environment. Thanks for a wonderful Saturday!

Great little orchard and cider distillery! The apples are delicious — I particularly liked the crunchier, brown apples that are used for cider. The prices are decent, a little more expensive than other places that I’ve been to, but I think that the apple variety is more unique.
The cider tasting was awesome — we got to try six ciders for $ 6 and got a complementary glass. Well worth the price. The cider is not as sweet as the stuff you would get at a cheap bar. Definitely more like apple wine than sweet, bottled cider. You could very distinctly taste the differences between all the cider types — an awesome experience.

After reading the big article in the Post this month, I knew I needed to check out some local cider spots! With my sister visiting from Boston, this was our first stop on a autumn day trip. Very friendly folks, lovely orchards (though I was surprised by how many apples I saw on the ground), small tasting room but for only $ 6 you get to sample five ciders plus keep the adorable glass. A variety of both sparkling and still ciders are offered, and they are constantly changing. Most of the bottles range from $ 16 — $ 20, but I picked up their least expensive bottle at $ 10. Then stopped at the barn for a few pre-​picked apples at only $ 1.99/lb. At least a dozen varieties were being sold, and you could also go out and pick your own. The nice guy in the barn said that I had chosen their best value cider, so I am looking forward to enjoying the bottle with friends.

Went to fall festival. Highly highly recommend. The staff is very cordial and knowledgable. The farm is beautiful! The cider and apples were well worth a very scenic drive.

It was a nice Autumn drive to DLC from Gaithersburg, we took Route 28 instead of 270. We liked that it was a small-​ish and intimate working farm, not overrun with thousands of people. We tasted 8 – 9 ciders ($ 5=4 samples), the folks doing the pouring were all very friendly and patient with our gazillion questions.
We also sat on hay bales and had a picnic lunch (there was a food truck from Curley’s BBQ), and there was an ice cream truck from South Mountain Creamery (had a scoop of pumpkin ice cream-​AMAZING!). Definitely worth a visit, especially if you enjoy cider as an alternative to beer or wine!

Fun adventure with friends and kids. Did the sampling and took a bottle to walk around the orchard. Cider was average but admittedly, I am not much of a cider person. The ambiance and staff were nice and it was a very fun way to spend a few hours. We were camping just a few miles away.

The best apples and cider around! They have heritage apples, that are the best you will ever taste or bake with (not like the grocery store). Ciders are dry to off dry, sparkling and still. The fresh cider is amazing as well & a very friendly and helpful staff!

A very pleasant visit. The self-​guided tour is a nice 30 minute walk around the orchard with good information about orchard farming, apples, and cider history. Many of the ciders are sparkling and all are dry but fruity. As a wine drinker, I like that these ciders are more like white wines and champayn than soda pop. Very enjoyable chilled summer beverage. Looking forward to making another visit.

Great cider! Came here to do a little cider tasting and left with three bottles. The spring blossom was our favorite!

We have been to the farm several times, and have never been disappointed. Our last visit was in the fall for apple picking, live music, food trucks and… CIDER! (delicious!) My daughter loves to run through the apple orchard, picking apples and eating them right off the tree. We ended up with a bag of apples and several bottles of cider– as we do each time we visit. We even purchased a jar of local honey from a beekeeper who was stationed there that day.
The staff is fun and engaging and ready to teach and talk about each cider, the apples that make it and the process behind it. They even teach cider making classes to share what they know and what they have learned over the years.
In the many times that I’ve visited, I’ve seen bachelor and bachelorette parties, families and couples, all enjoying themselves either on picnic blankets in the field by the estate or on the patio under the umbrellas.
Overall, a lovely day can be spent at Distillery Lane and we can’t wait for our next adventure!

Came here with a group of 16 friends on a Saturday afternoon at 12:30. The parking lot was a bit tight, but the extra cars were guided to park along the main building. The storefront and small tasting bar was filled with another small group when we arrived, but our group was immediately given a small debriefing on the farm, the apples, and the ciders. We were then taken into the larger room where the cider is made and had our tasting there. We sampled 5 different varieties for $ 6 and got to keep our tasting glasses.
These are definitely not the normal bottled ciders most people are used to. Much drier, but also much more complex. I ended up splitting a 6 pack of different bottles with a friend to get the 15% discount. The bottles ran anywhere from $ 9 (on sale) to over $ 20, with most being $ 16 – 20.
I would definitely love to come back when the orchards are full and we could go on the walking tour, but we all had a great time. We got to meet both Ruby and Kingston (the dogs on location) and I even went to the barn to talk to some chickens. Love this little escape just over an hours drive from DC.

Great place to visit… make sure you go on a nice day to take the self guided tour through the orchard.
The ciders are not the typical sweet ciders that you find. Do the tasting and try for yourself. Word to the wise… avoid the cider they characterize as cheesy!
Really wanted to try the winter cider but they don’t give samples. Hopefully they will add that to the tasting for the folks that prefer the sweet ciders.
Be sure to check out the different types of apples they have for sale. Got some giant baking apples and can’t wait to make a dessert with them.

Great ciders. More traditional unlike the ciders you usually get when you order a hard cider at a bar. This means they are more dry than the ciders like Woodchuck or Angry Orchard. I would recommend trying the barrel aged Kingston Black, Celebration, or Summer Buzz. My parents really like Celebration and always keep a few bottles around the house for guests.

I’d had my eye on visiting Distillery Lane Ciderworks for awhile and was really pleased to be able to add it as a stop on a recent day trip into Frederick Country. I’m a big fan of visiting breweries and wineries, and was glad that Maryland had a different spirit to add to the list.
DLC is located on a working farm, and their cider is 100% made with apples grown on site. During the warmer months, many festivals and outdoor walking tours of the orchards make this a draw for daytrippers. But a winter visit was worthwhile, too. Less people meant we got to talk with the owner and the cider-​maker (and get the full attention of the two lovey-​dovey barn cats that live on the farm) and we learned a ton about the craft of making cider during our visit. A $ 5 tasting of 4 different ciders was a great deal– we could even take the stemless glass home– score!
I was surprised with the number of different ciders they had bottled, and was also surprised to find varieties that were really different from the fizzy, sweet hard ciders often served up in bars. Sweet or tart, sparking or still — a stop here is sure to open your eyes to a new understanding of the diverse offerings of hard cider. (The «Celebration» was our favorite.)

This was our second visit to the Ciderworks, and I definitely hope it won’t be the last. They specialize in old world ciders, which means you won’t find the cloyingly sweet offerings the likes of Woodchuck and Hardcore here. Think white wine and you’re in the ballpark.
Old world ciders are far more dry, but with the fresh, clean taste of apples still on the palate. While I enjoy the sweeter ciders from time to time, this kind is more refined, more suited to the wine bottle, and definitely worthy of being served at special occasions. Or… just, whenever.
Last Thanksgiving, we had a bottle of theirs to start the meal with, and it was so well received, the second bottle was consumed not long after the meal began. We have been thrilled with their products so far, and hopefully we will continue to enjoy their ciders for many years to come!

It seemed that after our visit here that DLC was popping up on blogs and the newspaper every other week! Which makes it all the more exciting that it’s here in Maryland!
We came for a tasting ($ 5) and to buy some delicious bottles of hard cider. I was fortunate enough to buy the last bottle of Scrumpy’s (much to everyone’s dismay). I also bought the Winter Cider and one of the others.
The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. And their ciders are delicious. I highly recommend a visit and stock up on cider.
PROTIP: If you have questions for them before your visit (like if a particular seasonal cider is available), it’s best to just email them. They mentioned that they do a small batch of cranberry cider at the holidays and a cherry blossom one in the spring, so e-​mail them and see when it’s bottled and ready!

One of the other reviewers commented that most of their ciders finish dry, which I agree with. We weren’t able to taste the winterfest which is supposedly like an ice wine, and so much sweeter which I’m hoping is true.
Very full bodied, I really wish that we had the opportunity to try everything they had on hand.

My first time having hard cider, and it was more to me like an apple-​flavored white wine than a cider. Was still delicious, so we bought a couple bottles to being back. $ 5 game you a few tastings, but unfortunately it didn’t include all their offerings, and they don’t offer tasting add-​ons either. Tasting room was cramped and understaffed.
Definitely get some freshly pressed apple cider while there. This stuff isn’t like what you buy in the store. You can taste the apple variety they used to press for the ciders.
Can also come here to buy ales they grow in addition to doing your own apple picking. Good to keep in mind the next time you want to make apple pie.
Good products are worth coming out here for trying. Ok tastings offerings but good to have something.

Good apples. Great fresh cider. The hard cider can be hit or miss, like they really don’t have their cidery’s act together — for instance an off-​dry jugged cider underwent an unintended secondary fermentation in the bottle. Result — a cider that unfortunately won’t keep if left unrefrigerated. Most of the cider is fermented very dry, which diminishes much of the apple flavor. They’re at their best when they keep the yeast under control for a fruitier, off-​dry product. If you’re a Magner’s, Woodchuck, or Woodpecker drinker, this is not your cider.
That being said, their fresh cider which is pressed from whatever’s being harvested that week, is really amazingly good. More than just sweet and apple-​y, it’s got a fantastic fresh taste and depth of flavor. You can also buy heirloom and non-​supermarket apple varieties by the pound. Great road trip for a fall day.