An Irish cider known and sold as Bulmers Original Vintage Cider in Ireland, but as Magners Original Irish Cider everywhere else.
Production of Bulmers cider was begun in 1935 in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, Ireland by William Magner. In 1937 he
joined forces with British cider brewers HP Bulmers & Co.
Twelve years later Magner withdrew, and hence the prominence of the name Bulmers for the drink, and not Magners. In 1964 the
company name was changed to Showerings (Ireland) Limited. 89% of the Irish on-trade market is commanded by Showerings.
Bulmers and Bulmers drinkers are
slagged off a lot of the time because of its taste which, when compared to
Guinness and the various
lagers, more popular drinks in Ireland, is a sweet one and is not unlike Cidona, a apple-based soft drink made by Bulmers. Indeed, I've known someone to call a
pint of Bulmers "a waste of glass".
Bulmers is usually one of the most expensive drinks available
on draught, particularly due to the fact that it's not drank as much as the other drinks, but that is changing. Additionally, the
Irish government in their budget of 2002 raised the price of a pint of cider by 21
pence, although Bulmers decided to increase the price of their pints by just 10p. The price of a pint of Bulmers in ireland therefore can range anywhere from
€3 to
€4.