Top 7 Mead Brands in India: Honey Sweetness in a Glass

From indianretailer.com

Mead, an alcoholic drink made from honey has slowly begun to find favour with the people in India due to various types and availability throughout the year. The drink is called as mead and it is considered the oldest drink in the entire world it originated around 7000 BC, and it is prepared out of honey and water and other fruits and spices or grains can be also added.  

The Indian mead brands have come into the limelight recently due to a booster push from government policies. The presence of such homegrown labels means we can provide sustainable, tasty meat options that are easy to source. Listed below are some of the finest mead brands available in India! 

What is Mead?

Mead, reportedly known as the drink for the gods, has been around for some time as a drink made from the fermentation of honey, water and sometimes yeast culture. It has existed for thousands of years and has therefore been produced and consumed from one corner of the world to the other. Although the users of masa harina have claimed that this product is useful for their health, in addition to being naturally free of gluten, and rich in phytonutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants from honey and other ingredients, numerous scientific studies are still lacking regarding the usefulness of this product.

Mead Market Size in India

In a recent report, the India Mead Beverage Market size, in terms of value, was $57.14 million in 2023. By the forecast period between 2024 and 2030. India Mead Beverage Market is expected to grow at a continuous rate of 4.76 percent to reach $74.55 Million By 2030.

Best Mead Brands Available in India 

1. Moonshine Meadery

Moonshine Meadery, India’s first meadery was started in the year 2014 by Rohan Rehani and Nitin Vishwas based in Pune and is famous for its gluten-free 100 percent Natural Mead. Apart from that they prepare mind-blowing concoctions by fermenting honey with fruits spices and different flavours such as kokum, coffee, ajwain etc. The key products are identified in the flagship and experimental MeadLABs series; popular products include Salted Kokum and Guava Chilli. In addition, Moonshine advances sustainable farming and helps bees and farmers.

Specialities: 

• Gluten-free
• Natural Ingredients 
• 100 percent natural honey

 

2. Cerana Meads

Based on Indian herbs and spices, Cerana Meads was launched by Dr Yoginee Budhkar and Ashwini Deore for unique and, simultaneously, eco-friendly meads. Located in the Sinnar area of Nashik, they produce meads from locally available fruits such as jamun, pomegranates and grapes. Premium products are Pomegranate Vanilla, Jamun Melomel, and Blue Pea Lavender. Their annual meads such as Yule Spice and Pinot Noir Pyment are currently being sold in Mumbai, Nashik, and Pune.

Specialities: 

• 100 percent natural sealed comb honey.
• Locally sourced fruits and spices, and no synthetic additives.
• Made by infusing Jamun fruit from Konkan in Jamun honey from Madhya Pradesh.

 

3. Charm City Meadworks

Charm City Meadworks located in Baltimore, Maryland was started in the year 2014 by James Boicourt and Andrew Geffken and offers dry, light and leaving meads made from honey, yeast and water. Reflecting Boicourt and the fascination of beekeeping it founded an everyday mead: sweet – Sweet Blossom that has a floral and citrus taste. As philosophically as positioning mead as beer, Charm City Meadworks enshrine simplicity and top-notch quality.

Specialities: 

• It brews meads that are exceptionally dry and drinkable. 
• Focuses on light and refreshing meads.

 

4. Stump

Stump Meads, Karnataka’s first meadery, was started in the year 2021 and started production in the year 2022 by sixth-generation coffee grower Himavanth Hasaganur Jayanth. Sourcing its ingredients from Hassan, near the Western Ghats, the brand produces natural meads with honey, water, fruits and coffee and not chemicals. Products that they provide are apple flavoured and those that are coffee flavoured, though they are planning on a lemon flavoured one. At the moment, Stump Meads is only available in Karnataka, although many people expect to find it throughout India.

Specialities: 

• Gluten-free
• Diverse product range 
• All-natural

 

5.  Four Fires Meadery

Four Fires Meadery, situated in Maumee, Ohio, pays tribute to the area's four indigenous tribes: Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi. The meadery offers a diverse selection of meads, including stills, hydromels, and distinctive flavoured varieties such as Mass-a-peel, Blood Orange, and Slappin' the Basil. Guests can partake in tastings and learn about the art of mead-making. Their products can be purchased at the meadery or online through Vinoshipper.

Specialities: 

• Wide product range 

 

6. Odin Mead

Odin Mead is a unique brand that showcases artisan meads from Spain, Denmark, and Lancashire. The Spanish Hidromiel Odin, crafted from a recipe that dates back a thousand years, provides gluten-free, low-alcohol choices such as Odin and Loki. From Denmark, Odin’s Skull Mead combines beer and mead with hops and barley, resulting in a bold and bitter taste. Meanwhile, Lancashire’s Odin’s Honey Mead and Odin’s Mead are traditional, vegetarian-friendly honey meads that offer rich flavours, capturing the legendary essence of the Norse god.

Specialities: 

• Typical Spanish sparkling and refreshing mead. 
• Completely handcrafted production without sugar, dyes, flavours and preservatives.

 

7. No Label

No Label is an Indian mead brand created by childhood friends Anant Gupta and Vinayak Malhotra under the umbrella of Bored Beverages, an "alt-alcohol" company. The brand promotes equality and individuality, which is evident in its name and mission. Their No Label Original Mead, boasting a 7 percent ABV, is a refreshing and light drink crafted from fermented honey. Dedicated to bringing back the tradition of mead, they have plans to launch intriguing flavours like Passionfruit and Iced Tea at budget-friendly prices.

Specialities: 

• A low-medium sweetness level.
• No Label is neither too dry nor too sweet.

Mead Mapping in India 

There is a demand for mead brands in India, offering a unique honey-flavoured alternative to traditional alco-beverages. This honey-based drink has a rich history that makes it a lot appealing to modern consumers. It is made with all-natural ingredients applauding sustainability and being gluten-free. As the want for newer alcohol grows among Indians, mead is marking a way through the terrain. 

https://www.indianretailer.com/article/retail-business/retail/top-7-mead-brands-india-honey-sweetness-glass

Wildflower Meadery @ Niagara Frontier Food Terminal (Buffalo, New York)

From buffalorising.com

The The Niagara Frontier Food Terminal (NFFT) continues to impress, with yet another unique business being added to the mix. Wildflower Meadery is the latest enterprise to pop up at the Terminal, which is already home to numerous businesses and artists.

I spoke to Founder and Managing Member, Greg McNulty, about the new meadery that is scheduled to open at the end of February. McNulty told me that the idea for the meadery sprouted up in 2021 during the pandemic, which is when he and his partners procured a license. Then, in 2022 they began producing, with the goal of opening a meadery (tasting room).

McNulty told me that although he formerly worked in the restaurant industry, he was not versed in the making of mead. The idea for Wildflower Meadery came about when he was trying to create a product in a category that he liked, but that consumers might be relatively unfamiliar with. After talking to a number of mead makers and doing his homework (including watching plenty of YouTube videos), he felt as if he was ready to take the next step. The idea was to concentrate on dryer versions of mead, that are very much apart from the sweeter styles of mead that fans of the beverage might be accustomed to drinking.

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Up to this point in time, McNulty and his partners have been busy experimenting with meads, and testing out the products to make sure that consumers like the product. For a revenue stream, they have been self distributing to places such as Fattey Beer Co. and The Beer Keep. They have also been selling online through a digital channel, and attending farmers’ markets in Lewiston and Kenmore, for example.

One thing that McNulty finds surprising is that their brand got picked up by a distributor in New York City that specializes in meads, hence they have become fairly well known downstate. Wildflower Meadery has been stealthily making a name for itself in Long Island, Brooklyn, and Queens, which is why McNulty and his partners felt that it was time to open up a dedicated tasting room in Buffalo. The goal is to “spread the word” in Western New York that there is a new hometown meadery that is making waves in the market.

Wildflower Meadery’s new 1000 SF tasting room at the Niagara Food Terminal will have a seating capacity for around 25 people. The hope is to eventually build out a larger tasting room with a full service kitchen. In the meantime, they will be offering up small plates such as charcuterie and nuts. The tasting room will also be a showcase for a number of products that are associated with their New York State Farm Meadery license, including bottled honey from local apiaries.

“One of our goals is to support the ecosystem that we live in,” McNulty told me. “That’s why we want to sell the NYS honey that is used to make the mead (from light and crisp to elegant and complex). We also want to do our part to make the Terminal a destination. We’re located right next to Château Buffalo, and across from The Nickel Plate. Since there are also artists at the Terminal, we are offering up our walls to hang art – artists can take home 100% of the profits from the works that they sell.”

McNulty is especially excited to have people stop by the meadery, to try different types of meads that, he feels, will change the way that they feel about the beverage. He’s convinced that everything that they know about mead will be turned upside down, as people discover the dryer varieties that are being served up at Wildflower Meadery.

                                                                                                     Tasting room menu

Wildflower Meadery | The Niagara Frontier Food Terminal |1500 Clinton St Unit 167 | Buffalo, NY 14206 | 631-804-5239

https://www.buffalorising.com/2025/01/wildflower-meadery-niagara-food-terminal/ 

This Is The World's Oldest Alcoholic Beverage, According To Historians

From tastingtable.com 

Humans have been making and enjoying alcoholic beverages for centuries, from cacao wine evidenced to have been made from 1,400 B.C. in Mesoamerica, Honduras, to Ancient Egyptian herbal wine dating back to 3,150 B.C. in Abydos, Upper Egypt. But the oldest alcoholic beverage in the world, according to historians who have found definitive proof, is a fermented beverage made from honey, rice, hawthorn fruit, and possibly with grapes. This dates back to the 7th millennium — between 7,000 and 6,600 B.C. — in the Jiahu Neolithic Village in China's Henan Province.

In Scandinavia (think Vikings), Teutonic Europe, Greece, and the Middle Ages, it was called mead, and has been known as "the nectar of the gods." We love this description because, interestingly, it is believed that mead actually naturally made itself before humans discovered it and started tinkering with adding herbs and spices to it. When bees left a hive, the sun would cause the beeswax to melt, basically encasing the remaining honey inside the hive. 

Raw honey is produced by bees, and contains natural yeast and enzymes that, when interacting with water (in this case, from the rain), and heat (from the sun), start to ferment. And there you have it — nature's mead. While these three ingredients formed the basis of mead, this kind of mead isn't really drinkable, which is where humans stepped in and turned what the bees left behind into what is still, to this day, a globally enjoyed alcoholic beverage.

Mead in different cultures

                                                                                                                 New Africa/Shutterstock

Historians discovered traces of mead in ancient Chinese pottery vessels in archaeological digs. It is believed that the naturally-fermented mead was tasted by people in early times, and around 7,000 B.C., the Chinese replicated it using the water and honey base, then added rice and fruit. The ancient Greeks, meanwhile, believed mead to be dew that the gods sent from heaven that was then collected by honeybees, which were believed to be messengers of the gods.

Mead thus became revered for holding magical powers and immortality, and it was often used in Greek ceremonies. In fact, mead was believed to be the drink of choice for Aristotle somewhere between 384 and 322 B.C. — he even mentioned it in his book, "Meteorologica." In the 1st century B.C., mead was believed to have been deeply rooted in ancient Rome, being seen as a status symbol for the upper class, and enjoyed as a luxury. It was known as mulsum, or honey wine, and included spices like cinnamon, pepper, and cloves.

But taking it back even further, some scholars believe that mead was discovered even before then, around 20,000 B.C. in Africa. The story goes that locals in an African bush tribe noticed bears looking a little tipsy after drinking water from puddles into which old beehives had fallen. Curious about this effect, they allegedly sampled the water themselves, and so mead was discovered. Nonetheless, mead fell out of popularity in the 16th century, though it could still make a comeback as an eco-conscious libation.

https://www.tastingtable.com/1750943/oldest-alcoholic-beverage/

The Absolute Best Mead Brand Contains A World Of Flavour

From tastingtable.com

Mead may be an ancient tipple, but that doesn't mean it's gone away. The drink is on a steady trajectory towards doubled growth by 2032, and it's safe to say there'll soon be mead bottles on shelves near you, if there aren't already. With such exciting industry developments, Tasting Table couldn't resist launching a full-scale review of the most popular mead brands. And despite findings of effervescence, juicy flavours, and savvy subscription deals throughout our rigorous testing, there was a deserved winner: Second City Meadery. Its sheer depth of flavour bowled us over; the Sphere of Influence bottle's harmonious blend of raspberry, blackberry, and honeyberry proved to be the gift that kept giving. Rich, bold, and balanced, it was everything a mead should be — a whole world of flavour.

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But do others agree? In short, absolutely. One Yelp reviewer exclaimed, "Every time I think I find my favourite mead I've ever had, Second City makes another incredible mead." Another hailed the brand's attention to flavour, advising of its Fate bottle: "tasty with a consistent mouthfeel throughout." A surprising number of online reviews come from customers who visited the meadery in person. Within this group, reviewers raved about the quality of tasting experiences, delicious meads, and friendly host, Peter. It's not just a bottle to be packaged and posted, but a venue fast becoming a beloved Chicago attraction.

What ingredients make mead special?

There's one thing that mead ultimately boils — or ferments — down to: Honey. This primary ingredient is so integral to the drink's success that the beverage is nicknamed "honey wine." It provides the necessary sugar for fermentation, a carbohydrate that converts into alcohol. Brewers incorporate the honey into a basic trio of yeast, distilled water, and flavourings to get the ball rolling. With such a shared simple premise, modern-day mead brands stand out through the bonus flavours they add to the fermentation vessel and the quality of their ingredients.

                                                                                              Second City Meadery/Facebook

Cast your mind back to our research; Tasting Table's reviewer particularly praised Second City Meadery's creative mead-crafting. The company's selection of maple-infused, spicy, fruity, and even coffee-forward flavourings scratches spots you never knew itched. Second City Meadery also emphasizes the importance of natural products — from predominantly Midwest-sourced fruits and spices to honey selected specifically for its unique floral notes. The best brands know that mead's fundamental recipe is an uncapped launchpad for delectable new directions.

Covering everything you need to know about mead would take all day. Our advice? Pick a bottle, scan the ingredient list with newfound appreciation, and learn about why mead fell out of popularity and how it could make a comeback. It really is quite the story.

https://www.tastingtable.com/1755927/absolute-best-mead-brand-second-city-meadery/

11 Popular Mead Brands, Ranked

From tastingtable.com

By Emily Hunt

As a budding mead fan, you can bet I'll be treating myself to bottles of this fermented honey beverage regularly now that I've become acquainted with some. Though the word "mead" may conjure up images of taverns from the Middle Ages, don't let that taint your perceptions of the drink — the craft of mead-making is still alive and well, with such a wide scope of variations that anyone should be able to find a mead they'll enjoy. Sure, you could make mead at home, but why play around with your own variations when hundreds of meaderies across the United States have already honed in on delicious recipes? 

It's possible that supporting these businesses could help mead make a comeback, which in turn could have a positive environmental impact as it will ensure bees remain in our ecosystem. You don't need to know everything about mead to enjoy it, but I'd recommend having a good idea of your preferred flavour profiles as you're hunting down bottles. I tried and ranked meads from several different meaderies across the country, and because each mead was very different, the ranking process wasn't easy. I ended up ranking them based on flavour potency. I preferred meads that blew me away with wild, full flavours. If your preferences are different, don't hesitate to give some of the meads toward the "bottom" of my list a try — they were still great!

11. Heidrun Meadery

                                                                                                           Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

Given that Heidrun's meads felt the most luxurious of the meads I sampled, it feels criminal to put them at the bottom of a list. However, because the flavours were the lightest of all the meads I tried, that's the spot I gave them. Absolutely grab a few bottles of the company's sparkling mead if you need a high-class beverage to serve at a fancy cocktail hour, wedding dinner, or evening gala. This California meadery crafts its Champagne-style meads with care and attention, designing each for the "sophisticated wine palate" — if this sounds like you, you should have bought a bottle yesterday. 

Heidrun's California Orange Blossom mead was incredibly light and reminiscent of a sweet white wine. Citrus came through slightly and its effervescence made it only sippable, so don't expect to down gulps of this at a time. Nevertheless, it went down incredibly smoothly. You're left with a slight orange sweetness on your lips after taking a sip. Its Marin County Wildflower mead was very delicately floral and boasted a slightly stronger flavour than the California Orange Blossom. It tasted light and elegant, but it was slightly more playful than its counterpart — I'd pass this one around in champagne flutes at my next springtime brunch. Each was gentle and unassuming, and can easily earn you some sophistication marks if you bring one to a gathering.

10. Dansk Mjød

                                                                                                       Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

My next pick takes us across the pond to sample a mead from Denmark (don't worry — it's still widely available in the U.S.). Though Dansk Mjød has only been brewing mead since 1994, its recipes go back centuries, and the fact that the company develops its own equipment for mead-making proves that it's a big player in the meadery game. I only tried one bottle from the brand, but I'll definitely be seeking out others on my next mead hunt. With flavours like bog myrtle, almond, and Tasmanian pepperberry, how could I resist sampling at least a couple more?

Dansk Mjød's Viking Blod mead is a "Nordic honey wine with hibiscus and hops added." It also boasts 19% ABV. Overall, it was a very light and very sweet mead. Hibiscus didn't come through until the end of the sip, and though I'd have preferred it to be more hibiscus-forward, the mead was nevertheless full of flavour. It had a slight hoppy taste without being reminiscent of beer, and though the ABV is high, it went down very smoothly. A sip of this mead will leave a sweet, honeyed taste on your lips which lingers on your palate, toward the back of your mouth. I enjoyed it, but I could see it being too sweet for the casual mead drinker. 

9. Hierophant Meadery

                                                                                               Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

Herbal beverage drinkers shouldn't hesitate to pick up a bottle of Hierophant's Apotheke mead if they see it on store shelves. It harkens back to a time when herbal meads were used as medicine (a practice which, personally, I think we should rekindle), and that appears to be no accident; after all, the meadery is named after the hierophant, a figure who ushers one into the presence of holiness. Purity and oneness with nature were absolutely at the top of my mind as I drank this herbal mead, which anyone with the mildest interest in herbalism would love. 

Hierophant's Apotheke is a "Honey Wine with botanicals and [Pacific Northwest] mushrooms added," but that's the bare minimum of what's in this mead. The herbs Hierophant combined in crafting this mead include hibiscus, orange peel, lemon verbena, nettle, raspberry leaf, and dandelion root, as well as Pacific Northwest turkey tail mushrooms. It's a sparkling mead with just 6.5% ABV. It felt like drinking a light, sparkling rosé, and was reminiscent of taking herbal medicine, though it didn't taste medicinal. Hibiscus was the strongest flavour. Everything else fell to the background to provide depth and complement each other. 

8. Melchemy Craft Mead

                                                                              Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

Melchemy Meadery takes pride in the place it calls home. Nestled in Washington's Cascade Mountains region, its surroundings are ripe with wild ingredients that the meadery incorporates into its bottles. It won't leave you guessing about its practices, either — in fact, the meadery has extensive information on its website about how it sources and grows its ingredients, and how it works with local ecosystems. Though I only tried one of this meadery's bottles, I'm dying to try its "Drylands" juniper-pine offering and its salal mead.

If you've ever tasted a drink with elderflower syrup or with rose syrup, you'll know that each flavour stands distinct among other floral and herbal flavour profiles. Melchemy's Elder-Rose mead is no exception. This mead is flavoured with elderflower and rose petal — a daring combination. I'd imagine it was hard to strike the appropriate balance between these two, but Melchemy did it. Both flavours managed to come through equally, complementing each other, and though the end result is quite a perfume-esque mead, I don't mind that in the slightest. It felt like drinking liquid flowers. The mead was delightful chilled and I was happy it wasn't too sweet. If you're looking for a mead to make you feel like you're spending the afternoon in a luxurious garden, this is it; it only got the number eight spot on the list because it lacked the jammy quality I came to prefer.

7. Brothers Drake Meadery

                                                                                                        Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

If you ever find yourself near Worthington, Ohio, I'd encourage you to book a tour with Brothers Drake Meadery. The Brothers Drake themselves (Eric and Woody, to be precise) have been passionate about their community since opening their meadery in 2007, and they incorporate a community-centred ethic into all of their practices. In addition to sourcing local ingredients (especially local honey) when crafting their meads, the meadery strives to be a "third space" for their neighbourhood residents to gather, unwind, dream, and enjoy each others' company.

I sampled Brothers Drake's Apple Pie mead. It's described as an apple mead aged in bourbon barrels, infused with the fragrances of apple pie spices like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. The apple and cinnamon were delightfully strong in this beverage, while the clove and nutmeg were almost imperceptible but still add some depth of flavour. I can tell it was aged in bourbon barrels — the bourbon flavour added some pleasant smokiness to an already well-rounded drink. Though it was delightful cold, I'll be trying what's left in the bottle as a warm beverage, perhaps by making some hot mulled mead. It's a bottle you'll want to have on hand from September through December, but I won't blame you if you grab some in the warmer months to get a welcome taste of fall vibes.

6. Moonlight Meadery

                                                                                              Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

Our next meadery pick takes us to Pittsfield, New Hampshire, the home base of Moonlight Meadery. Moonlight has been in operation since 2010, when it was started by Michael Fairbrother, whose passion for mead was kindled in 1995. In addition to making mead, his company also makes ciders — despite some similarities, mead and cider are quite different. If you want to keep mead in your alcoholic beverage rotation, Moonlight can help; its subscription-based mead program starts at just $50 per quarter and earns you discounts on other company products. 

Moonlight Meadery's Embrace mead has tasting notes of blackcurrant and honey. When I poured it into a glass, I noticed it had a rich, fruity aroma, but this mead tasted drier than I expected, which I quite enjoyed — especially given the startling sweetness of other meads I tried. Though blackcurrants gave it a good amount of tartness, the honey's sweetness balanced that out enough that I didn't find myself puckering, and it went down wonderfully smoothly. This mead is potent, but don't let that turn you away. Another Moonlight mead, Utopian X, is impressively traditional, matured for 10 years, and made for mead fanatics. It was very sweet and alcohol-forward, with notes of bourbon and vanilla. Though I was slightly overwhelmed by it, it's a bottle to opt for if you're looking for a potent, traditional mead. Moonlight's unique contrast of offerings and the juiciness of its Embrace mead earned it the number six spot on this list. 

5. B. Nektar

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B. Nektar Meadery (which also makes cider, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages) gave me a pleasant surprise with some canned offerings. If you're looking for a mead that's easy to tote to the beach, this is your brand. Since 2006, B. Nektar has been a playful, innovative company whose owners strive not to take things too seriously, and manage to make award-winning beverages in the process. You can stop in if you ever find yourself in Ferndale, Michigan, but the brand is widely distributed enough that there's a decent chance of finding a location with some of its offerings near you.

B. Nektar's Apple Pi mead smelled like baked apples and cinnamon, and the spice balance was lovely — I detected notes of cinnamon and nutmeg as well as some cloves, and there may have been a touch of anise in there. This alcohol-forward mead is perfect for those looking for a potent drink. Another of its offerings, Odin's Blessing, was a fairly dry honey mead, and was surprisingly reminiscent of beer (though I can't decide if that was because I was drinking it from a can). It was clean and refreshing, as was Peach Kill All The Golfers, a mead that features black tea, peach, and lemon. The black tea and honey in this one provided a nice flavour balance, while peach and lemon give extra brightness. The fact that the brand offered canned meads gave it a leg up, and the company's wide variety of flavours was also impressive.

4. Honey Tree Meadery

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Honeytree Meadery isn't just a meadery — it's also an apiary that cares for over 30 colonies of bees in the East Nashville area. I love the closed-loop production of a meadery that sources its own honey, which is what the meadery is all about. Producing mead is only part of its mission; the operators also strive to educate patrons about ecological stewardship in mead making, and are themselves always trying to become more environmentally sustainable.

I tried four meads from this company, which managed to retain its own distinct character in each bottle, despite offering very different flavour profiles. The Signature Series Premium Mead tasted like a nice cross between mead and white wine, especially when enjoyed chilled. It's more alcohol-forward and not as sweet as other meads, making it great for a refined mead enthusiast. Bouquet Toss (made with rose hip, hibiscus, and linden flower) was a beautiful, refreshing floral beverage. Sweet Baby Ginger was definitely potent in its ginger flavour (ginger lovers, this one is for you), and is a bottle I'll be grabbing to aid me in healing from my next cold. The Basic Batch Seasonal Mead is my favourite — it smells warm and buttery, reminiscent of butterscotch, and was sweet and luxurious to sip on without being overwhelming. 

3. Batch Meadery

                                                                                                             Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

Batch Mead has been a labour of love from a small team of owners, and is currently located in Temecula, California. It sources local ingredients whenever possible and makes its mead in small batches — this means that you'll frequently see something new on the menu, and also that you should stock up on your favourites while they're still around. Its award-winning meads are all playful in their design, and draw inspiration from folklore, mythology, and even circus culture in their names and labels.

I loved each mead I tried from Batch Meadery. Its Curse of Calypso mead was a shocking departure from most other meads I sampled in its tropical character; its notes of pineapple and peaches were distinct from any other bottle, which is part of why this brand got a higher rating on my list. It was incredibly juicy and the pineapple wasn't overwhelming, as the hint of sweet peaches provided a lovely balance. Batch's Figment didn't have the best colour (it was a muddy burgundy-brown), but I completely forgot about that when I took a sip of this fig-forward, barrel-aged mead. This was one of the juiciest, jammiest bottles I sampled; the taste of figs lingered on my lips (it felt almost sinful), and there was nothing subtle about the flavour of this mead. Its gentle whiskey notes will give one the impression of drinking a dessert mead in a centuries-old tavern. 

2. Four Fires Meadery

                                                                                                          Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

Everyone loves a good "our-business-started-in-a-garage" success story, but that's far from the only reason Four Fires Meadery earned the number two spot on my list. I'm endlessly thankful the four friends decided to expand their hobby beyond a garage-based enterprise, and it was a smart decision on their part — each bottle I tasted from this meadery boasted surprising, delightful, even nostalgic flavour combinations that will have me ordering more once I'm through with my current supply. 

Four Fires' Lost in Translation mead was one of the sweetest I had, but I enjoyed it immensely. It tasted exactly like what it is — a pure, unadulterated honey wine with a slight cardamom warmth. It goes down smoothly despite having a strong alcohol aroma. The Slow Jamz blackberry mead was delightful. The blackberries first hit you in the drink's aroma, and then, in the flavour, they have a slight tart quality that adds some contrast to this still-sweet drink. Kitten Wishes and Business Kisses smelled mellow, but don't let that fool you — it's an intensely jammy, juicy mead with a good balance of raspberry, blackberry, and blackcurrant flavours. My favourite of the selection, though, was Strawberry Hand Grenade. This strawberry vanilla wine tasted like an indulgent dessert. The strawberries were bright and sweet while the vanilla grounded this drink somewhat, and honestly, it felt like I was drinking strawberry sherbet (which I definitely mean as a compliment).

1. Second City Meadery

                                                                                          Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

At the top of the list, my personal favourite of the mead brands I tried, is Second City Meadery. This Chicago-based meadery was born from a spark of inspiration that came when one of the owners tried their first mead. The rest, as they say, is history. Second City gets creative with its mead crafting and even has selections of coffee-based meads, as well as spice-forward, maple syrup-infused, and fruit-forward servings. What won it the number one spot on this list, though, was the stunning depth of flavour in each bottle I tried.

Second City's Streetlight mead seems simple in concept, with a flavour profile containing blackcurrant, cherry, and lemon. The combination results in a stunning mead. It's very fragrant, and the cherry and lemon complement each other effortlessly to give a certain freshness to this mead that the others lacked. Streetlight will fill the back of your mouth with flavour, and it has a deep, rich quality without being overbearing. My favourite mead was Second City's Sphere of Influence (which would be a great pairing with chocolate chess pie). It's another one that sounds relatively simple, containing honeyberry, raspberry, and blackcurrant, but something about the combination of those flavours in this drink blew me away. It's very jammy without being too sweet; the raspberry and currants married together beautifully while the honeyberry added just enough sweetness to round out the other berries' tartness. I could drink bottles of this mead without batting an eye.

Methodology

As I've already mentioned, "ranking" these meads was extraordinarily difficult given how unique each bottle was. In the end, I chose to pick a variable and rank each mead according to that, so I chose to judge them based on flavor potency. My favorite meads were juicy, jammy, rich, and smooth, which is why Second City Meadery (specifically its Sphere of Influence bottle) got the top spot on my list. Lighter, less potent meads ranked toward the bottom, but they were by no means bad — they simply lacked the jammy quality that I prefer in a mead.

I dedicated an evening to sipping the meads I tried, and I decided to taste them all in one sitting so my opinion wasn't influenced by too many external factors. That being said, I can't emphasize enough that this is a ranking that won't be universal to every consumer, as these meads were too unique to truly compare against one another. My advice? Take some time to go through the descriptions for each mead and pick the one closest to what you're looking for. No matter which mead on this list you end up with, you won't be disappointed. 

https://www.tastingtable.com/1746764/mead-brands-ranked/