I helped my father plant a tree?

You could have planted it at the wrong time. You could have not planted it deep enough or too deep. You could have not watered it enough or too much. You could have disturbed it's root system and it's just went into shock. There are a lot of different reasons. You didn't have to prune back the tree when planting. It can wait until it's established in the ground next year. Don't give up. Try again. The Cider should have gone in the fridge after opening.