James Finch, known on social media as the Cider Critic, has been recognised by CAMRA’s annual Pomona Award for his promotion of real cider and perry.

Finch is one of the original cider critics, having started his journey in 2012. Not only does he produce his own blog The Cider Critic, but he also helped Craft Nectar’s blog become the world number one blog for the drink in 2018.

In early 2021, he joined fellow cider writer Adam Well to launch www.cider-review.com, and together they have produced more than 200 reviews and articles and mentored a new generation of contributing writers about cider and perry.

Named after the goddess of fruit trees, gardens, and orchards, the Pomona Award is presented by CAMRA to a person, group, organisation, idea or concept that has made an outstanding achievement, commitment, or contribution to the promotion of real cider or perry.

Andrea Briers, who oversees the award said: “It is a real pleasure to recognise the fantastic work that James has undertaken. James has been a strong advocate for traditional British cider and perry for the better part of the last decade.

“He has had an enormous impact on sharing news, information and his passion for the beverage among his followers – making a significant contribution to the world of cider and perry.”

Finch said: “it is an absolute honour and a complete surprise to receive the Pomona Award from CAMRA, a huge thanks to all those that nominated me. I have had the opportunity to work with CAMRA a number of times on its work to champion British cider and perry, and it has been a tremendous privilege.

“This award represents more than just my work though as, now more than ever, it is a wide collective effort to champion and support real cider and perry. I am grateful to all those I have had the opportunity to work with and write about, without whom I wouldn’t be receiving this award.”

Finch is also a prolific YouTuber, having launched Fine Cider Friday videos on his The Cider Critic channel in 2019. He runs many Instagram Live events and has a significant social media presence as the Cider Critic. He has also developed a number of cider-focused content for CAMRA’s Learn & Discover platform including:

An introduction to tasting cider: https://camra.org.uk/learn-discover/the-basics/introduction-to-tasting-cider/

A beginner’s guide to cider terminology: https://camra.org.uk/learn-discover/the-basics/a-beginners-guide-to-cider-terminology/

An enthusiast’s guide to cider terminology (member only): https://camra.org.uk/learn-discover/learn-more/learn-more-about-cider/a-enthusiasts-guide-to-cider-terminology/