The world’s oldest drink is making a comeback after more than 400 years

From metro.co.uk

By Robertson Buckhaven

Mead always makes me think of Vikings. 

Just mention the word, and I’m picturing a great, hulking dude wearing a flappy fur cloak, downing the drink from an animal horn.

Game of Thrones fans will be all too familiar with this image, as mead, or honey wine as it’s also known, was the drink of choice in certain parts of Westeros. 

Thought to be the world’s oldest fermented alcoholic drink, mead fell out of fashion in the 17th century, but now, more than 400 years later, it’s making a comeback.

Here’s everything you need to know…

                                                             The ancient drink is also known as honey wine (Picture: Getty Images)

What is mead?

Will Grubelnik, the head of production at London-based Gosnell’s, explains: ‘As apples are to cider, grapes are to wine, honey is to mead’.

In basic terms, it’s honey, mixed with water and fermented with yeast.

The diversity in flavour stems from the various types of honey that are used. Traditional meads use milder honeys like clover or orange blossom, while Acacia brings in a lemon sherbet note, and buckwheat or wildflower adds bolder flavours.

Then, you have fruit meads, spiced or apple meads.

The history of Mead

Mead isn’t just old; it couldn’t even be described as ancient, it’s actually prehistoric.

There’s archaeological evidence suggesting as far back as 7000 BC in China. Humans were fermenting honey with water, leaving it out in the sun and getting hammered on the stuff.

Other fun facts include: In Ethiopia, it’s known as ‘tej’, it was the favourite drink of Aristotle, and mead is mentioned multiple times in the ancient poem, Beowulf, from the 9th century.

                                                   It’s been hundreds of years, but mead is being drunk once more… (Picture: Getty/Metro)

Sure, the Vikings were partial to it too, but it was really monasteries across Europe that were brewing it to make an income. It was also thought to be medicinal, and sits lower in alcohol than the more lethal, monk-made concoctions such as Benedictine and Chartreuse.

So tied to the Western lexicon is the drink that the term ‘honeymoon’ comes from the tradition of drinking honey wine for a month after you get married. It was believed to increase fertility, and was taken so seriously that the bride’s father included a month’s worth of the stuff as part of his daughter’s dowry.

The mead revival

Flash forward to the 21st century, and mead might well be the most British drink (although it’s not actually British) we’ve collectively forgotten.

Probably because, as we’ve established, it has an image problem. Plus, the sweet style of the drink no longer aligns with our love of drier flavours, and hasn’t for some time.

And though I’ve heard whispers of a mead revival in the past, it’s never properly materialised. Truth be told, it’s been a rough road for the mead industry. For example, leading producer, Gosnell’s, based in Peckham, announced in 2024 that they had stopped brewing mead.

Founder, Tom Gosnell, said at the time: ‘The word “mead” has musings of high alcohol and Game of Thrones, and it has stopped us from creating the future bees merit’.

They have since changed ‘mead’ to ‘nectar’, to attract a new audience, though it’s still made the same way, from honey.

But now I’m calling it. Mead is officially having a resurgence, with new, exotic, and exciting flavours to choose from – there’s even sparkling mead, for those who love a bit of fizz.

And to my great surprise, much of it is drier and barely tastes of honey anymore. Which is a win, if I’m honest, as the idea of a drink that tastes strictly of beehive has always been a hard no for me.

It’s precisely this rich diversity of mead styles that is driving the comeback, as there’s literally something for every taste. In fact, Fortune Business Insights reports the global mead market is due to reach $1.395 million by the end of 2032. And much of this is right place, right time, more specifically, the growth of the craft side of the drinks industry.

People are actively looking for more interesting, authentic drinks with a back story, made from high-quality, local ingredients. And now, mead has entered the chat and ticks a lot of those boxes… Well, to be fair, it had entered the chat a few thousand years ago, but the point still stands.  

Where to buy mead in the UK right now…

Lyme Bay Traditional Mead, £12.00, Majestic (Mix 6)

                                                               Lyme /Bay Winery is the UK’s largest mead producer (Picture: Majestic)

Lyme Bay Winery in Axminster, Devon, is the largest UK producer of mead. Handcrafted in the rolling Devon countryside, this is amber-chestnut coloured, with notes of honeysuckle, star anise, russet pears, bruised golden apple and hazelnuts. It’s sweet, beautifully balanced and fresh. Serve it neat, on ice, with a mixer or in a cocktail (I can vouch for it being great in an Old Fashioned)

Loxwood Meadworks Festival, £22, Loxwood Meadworks (or £22.50 from Master of Malt)

                                                                         A modern take on mead (Picture: Loxwood Meadworks)

A modern take on mead from West Sussex. Aside from the top-notch packaging, the product inside is equally beguiling. The mead has been dry fermented, then sweetened with a touch of honey. This means that the yeast is left to consume almost all the honey, then ‘back sweetened’ with a measured touch of honey. The result is distinctly wine-like, with a beautiful freshness, light honeycomb and ginger notes, a lean texture and notes of yellow cherry stone and hazelnut. Very good indeed.

Gosnells Hazy Nectar, £32.50 for 12 cans, gosnells.co.uk

                                                              Gosnells rebranded mead as ‘nectar’ (Picture: Gosnells)

Since rebranding from ‘mead’ to ‘nectar’, their packaging is as fresh as the liquid inside the can. This Peckham-based company was set up in 2014, and I have to say, I admire their tenacity. I was expecting sweet and floral, but instead found myself tasting something closer to a tropically hopped IPA. It’s pretty ingenious and a logical sidestep for beer-lovers, fresh and hoppy with dry notes of lychee, green apple and freshly-baked sourdough. Delicious.

https://metro.co.uk/2026/02/28/worlds-oldest-drink-making-a-comeback-400-years-27124414/

A Guide to Popular Mead Styles in Australia

From sheppadviser.com.au

The Australian beverage industry is currently witnessing a profound architectural shift, as the traditional boundaries between viticulture, brewing, and apiculture begin to dissolve into a singular, sophisticated craft: the production of premium mead. 

Historically relegated to the peripheries of the “honey wine” niche, mead has undergone a radical reappraisal, emerging as a high-end artisanal product that mirrors the complexity of fine wine and the experimental agility of craft beer. 

In Australia, this renaissance is fuelled by a biological advantage, the continent’s vast array of over 700 native flowering plants, which provide a spectrum of honey flavours and chemical profiles that are globally unique.   

As consumers increasingly pivot toward authenticity, traceable sourcing, and natural fermentation, the Australian mead market has matured. No longer defined solely by the syrupy, high-alcohol versions of the past, the contemporary landscape is populated by dry, sparkling hydromels, complex melomels infused with “bush tucker” fruits, and medicinal metheglins that draw upon indigenous botanical knowledge. 

Australian Mead Styles

To understand the current market, one must categorise mead according to its ingredients and fermentation parameters. While “honey wine” is often used as a synonym, industry professionals increasingly insist on the term “mead” to differentiate these ferments from grape-based products.   

Traditional Mead: Traditional mead represents the most fundamental expression of the craft, consisting solely of honey, water, and yeast. In this style, the character of the honey is the primary variable, determining the final aroma, colour, and palate structure. Meaderies sometimes focus on capturing the essence of specific blossoms, ranging from the mild and sweet Yellow Box to the robust, medicinal profiles of Red Gum and Ironbark.   

Traditional meads are further classified by their final sugar content and alcohol by volume (ABV). The diversity of Australian honeys allows for a broad spectrum of outcomes, as detailed in the following analysis.

Dry Traditional: Bone dry to slight residual, 11% – 14% ABV, Floral citrus, light acidity. 

Semi-Sweet: Balanced Acidity/sugar, 12% – 15% ABV, Creamy texture, marmalade notes. 

Sack Mead: Intensely Sweet, 14%-20% ABV, Bold, toady, butterscotch undertones. 

Fortified/Liqueur: Fortified with spirits, 18% – 23% ABV, Spiced, oak-aged, dense fruit.   

The Australian preference has shifted toward semi-sweet and semi-dry traditional meads, which offer a more versatile pairing profile for modern Australian cuisine, particularly when served over ice or as a spritzer with soda water.   

The Session Mead Revolution

The most rapid growth within the Australian mead sector is found in “Session Meads” or Hydromels. These are lower-alcohol versions of mead, typically ranging from 3.5% to 8.5% ABV, and are almost always carbonated and packaged in cans. This style aligns with the broader consumer trend toward “sessionable” drinks that can be enjoyed in casual, outdoor settings like festivals or beachside picnics.   

Session meads are often dry, as the low alcohol content cannot support high levels of residual sugar without becoming cloying. The carbonation is critical, providing a “prickly” texture that brightens the honey’s aromatics. For those looking to explore this trend through home production, using a high-quality mead brewing kit australia is the standard recommendation to ensure the precision required for low-gravity fermentations and consistent carbonation.     

Regional Production 

Australia’s diverse climate zones necessitate varied approaches to mead production. In tropical Queensland, temperature control during fermentation is paramount to prevent the production of off-flavours like fusel alcohols. Conversely, in the cooler southern regions, brewers focus on seasonal harvest coordination, timing their fermentations to coincide with the peak availability of temperate berries and stone fruits.   

The Role of Native Stingless Bees

A burgeoning niche in the Australian market involves the use of honey from native stingless bees, known as “Sugarbug” honey. Hives of Tetragonula and Austroplebeia produce only about one kilogram of honey per year, making it one of the rarest food products in Australia. This honey is noted for its high acidity and unique plant resins, providing a flavour profile that is impossible to replicate with European honey bees. While its low volume means it will likely remain a luxury adjunct, its presence in high-end, limited-release meads represents the pinnacle of Australian botanical craftsmanship.   

Mead in the Australian Food Scene

Modern Australian mead is designed to be consumed with food. The versatility of the different styles allows for pairings across a full degustation menu:

Sparkling Session Meads: Ideal as an aperitif or paired with fresh Sydney Rock Oysters and light seafood dishes.   

Traditional Semi-Dry Meads: Complements poultry, charcuterie boards, and soft cheeses like brie or camembert.   

Melomels (e.g., Passion Fruit or Raspberry): Pairs excellently with fresh fruit tarts, pavlova, or spicy Thai and Vietnamese salads.   

Spiced or Liqueur Meads: Served with dark chocolate, blue cheese, or as a “sticky” at the end of a meal, similar to a Muscat or Port.   

What’s Next?

For the professional peer or the dedicated enthusiast, the message is clear: the Australian mead industry has moved beyond its Viking-themed origins into a sophisticated era of botanical expression. Whether it is a crisp, canned hydromel for a summer afternoon or a complex, oak-aged metheglin for a winter evening, mead has secured its place as a permanent and prestigious fixture in the Australian craft beverage landscape.

https://www.sheppadviser.com.au/a-guide-to-popular-mead-styles-in-australia/

11 Popular Mead Brands, Ranked

From msn.com/en-us

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!

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

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©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

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©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

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©Emily Hunt/Tasting Table

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.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/11-popular-mead-brands-ranked/ss-AA1TLcnU

Mead In India: From Tribal Traditions To FSSAI-defined Categories

From slurrp.com

Mead, one of the oldest known alcoholic drinks, has always had a presence in India through regional and tribal practices of fermenting honey with water and spices. In recent years, the beverage has entered formal recognition through the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which has introduced clear guidelines and categories for mead makers. 

Honey has long been a part of Indian food culture, valued for its medicinal qualities, ritual use, and sweetening properties. Communities across India have fermented honey with water, fruits, herbs, and local spices for generations, creating drinks that resemble what is globally known as mead. These traditional practices were largely undocumented and often remained within tribal and regional boundaries. The modern craft beverage movement in India has brought mead into greater visibility. Brewers are experimenting with honey sourced from different regions, and the FSSAI has now defined the legal categories under which mead can be produced and sold. This formal recognition gives the drink a place within India’s evolving alcoholic beverage landscape.

                                                                                            Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Traditional Practices Of Honey Fermentation In India

Tribal groups in states such as Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and the North-East have long used honey in fermentation. Honey collected from forests was mixed with water and sometimes with fruits like mahua or herbs available in the area. The result was a mildly alcoholic drink consumed during festivals, rituals, and gatherings. These brews were made in small quantities and were closely tied to seasonal cycles of honey harvesting. Unlike commercial alcohol, the production was not standardised, and taste varied with each batch depending on the honey source and method of fermentation. These practices underline how honey fermentation was embedded in cultural traditions and social life, rather than being approached as a commercial enterprise.

Global Context Of Mead And Its Indian Revival

Mead is often associated with ancient civilisations in Europe, Africa, and Asia. References appear in Greek, Norse, and Vedic texts, which suggests the wide presence of honey-based drinks. While beer and wine grew into large industries, mead remained marginal until recent global revival efforts positioned it within craft brewing. In India, this global trend intersected with a rediscovery of local traditions and the growing popularity of artisanal drinks. Entrepreneurs began to experiment with Indian honey varieties such as mustard, eucalyptus, litchi, and wild forest honey, which each provide distinct flavour profiles. These efforts transformed mead from a scattered traditional practice into a drink that can now be marketed to urban consumers seeking variety in alcoholic beverages.

FSSAI’s Role In Defining Mead Categories

A turning point for mead in India came when the FSSAI introduced specific standards for its production. Earlier, mead lacked a recognised category, creating uncertainty for brewers who wanted to sell commercially. The FSSAI now defines mead under the category of fermented alcoholic beverages made from honey. The rules outline alcohol content, permissible additives, labelling requirements, and hygiene standards for production. Mead is further divided into categories based on method and ingredients, such as traditional mead, melomel (mead with fruit), metheglin (mead with spices and herbs), and sparkling mead. These definitions align India with international classifications, while also allowing scope for local adaptation. The presence of a legal framework provides clarity for licensing and encourages investment in craft meaderies.

Commercial Growth Of Mead In India

The first licensed meadery in India was established in Maharashtra in 2016. Since then, several small producers have emerged, experimenting with flavours that appeal to an Indian palate. These include combinations with saffron, tulsi, mango, jamun, and even chilli. The craft positioning of mead has allowed it to be marketed alongside premium beers and ciders, targeting consumers interested in experimentation and quality. Production volumes remain small compared to beer or spirits, but the category is steadily gaining recognition. Meaderies often highlight sustainable sourcing of honey, connections with beekeeping communities, and the potential to support biodiversity. This approach gives mead an added narrative of social and environmental value beyond its taste.

Challenges Faced By Mead Producers

Despite regulatory clarity, mead makers face challenges in scaling production and distribution. Honey is an expensive raw material compared to grains used in beer, which makes mead relatively costly. Maintaining consistent supply of high-quality honey is also complex, as flavour and composition vary by season and geography. Consumer awareness remains limited, and many drinkers are unfamiliar with mead or unsure of how it compares with other alcoholic drinks. Marketing therefore requires both education and tasting experiences, which demand investment from small producers. Distribution is another hurdle, as state-level alcohol laws create barriers for a new category entering the market. These factors slow down rapid expansion, even as interest continues to grow.

The Future Of Mead In India

Mead is beginning to occupy a defined niche in India’s alcoholic beverage sector. Its appeal lies in the link between traditional practices and modern craft culture. As consumers seek variety beyond beer and spirits, mead offers a product that is rooted in Indian heritage yet presented with contemporary branding. The FSSAI framework gives legitimacy and paves the way for structured industry growth. If producers can overcome challenges of cost, supply, and awareness, mead has the potential to establish itself firmly in urban markets. Partnerships with beekeepers, innovative flavour development, and participation in craft beverage festivals are likely to strengthen its position. The journey of mead in India reflects the way local traditions can be reinterpreted and preserved within the structure of modern industry.

https://www.slurrp.com/article/mead-in-india-from-tribal-traditions-to-fssai-defined-categories-1757329411315 

Mead Vs Cider: What's The Actual Difference?

From tastingtable.com

It's staggering to think that most drinks we order today have been around for centuries, if not more. Sure, the $9 grapefruit-flavoured IPA you splurged on at your favourite dive last weekend was not around during Julius Caesar's heyday. But beer itself dates back millennia, as does wine. Two more of today's beloved drinks were also invented thousands of years ago: mead and cider.

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Mead and cider are fermented beverages that vary in sweetness and alcohol content. They can be served still or sparkling, sweet or dry. And both drinks have experienced a popular resurgence in recent years. But many of the similarities stop there. Known endearingly as "honey wine," mead is crafted from fermented honey, while cider is derived from apples. Mead and cider can also vary in their alcohol by volume (ABV) levels, yielding starkly different outcomes. Here's what you need to know next time you're considering a sip of either one.

What is mead?

Often associated with 16th century taverns, Medieval-style costumes, and jousting re-enactments, mead is a drink you might have encountered at a Renaissance Fair, served sweet and syrupy. But mead's history stretches back thousands of years further — and some historians consider mead to be the world's oldest alcoholic drink. A 2004 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences even documented traces of mead in 9,000-year-old northern Chinese pottery jars.

Over the centuries, the practice of fermenting honey has ricocheted around the world. Ethiopia holds an age-old tradition of crafting t'ej, a honey wine concocted with buckthorn leaves. Varieties of mead stretch across eastern Europe and Scandinavia. More recently, mead's popularity has grown in the United States. The American Mead Maker's Association estimates that in 2003, the country contained a mere 60 meaderies. By 2020, that number had ballooned to around 450, with more meaderies reportedly in the works.

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The primary ingredients of mead are simple: honey, water, and yeast. Depending on the preference of the mead maker (or mazer), some meads fully embrace their honey-rich origins with bursts of sweetness, while other meads lean to the dry side. To spice things up, mead is often infused with complementary flavours ranging from vanilla and citrus to hops and cinnamon.

What is cider?

For many, it's impossible to hear the word "cider" without thinking of pumpkin patches, hayrides, and steaming cups of cinnamon-tinted apple cider, sans alcohol. While we're big fans of the non-alcoholic fall favourite, that's not the cider we're referring to, here. A sweet hard cider might very well emulate that autumnal taste, but alcoholic cider is far older and more diverse than the stuff you might snag at your local apple orchard every October. Like mead, cider has been around the block, possibly for thousands of years. 

In fact, some researchers trace the drink back to the days of ancient Rome. As the centuries wore on, some historians report, the drink spread through Europe and eventually made its way to the American colonies, where it became an incredibly common beverage — even for children. And while cider's popularity has fluctuated somewhat in recent years, there has been some heightened interest, particularly in local and regional ciders as opposed to more mass-produced brands, according to a 2022 study from market research firm NielsenIQ. 

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Cider comes from a simple pair of basic ingredients: apples and yeast. Apples are pressed to extract a fresh juice, which is then fermented for days or possibly weeks. Depending on the cider maker's methodology, cider can emerge apple-forward and sweet. Other ciders hold minimal sugar, or no residual sugar at all, landing firmly in the "dry" category.

Mead and cider are made from different ingredients

The most significant difference between mead and cider is their source material — honey versus apples. Like grapes destined for wine, honey for mead and apples for cider play huge roles in determining the outcome of each drink. And depending on the methodology, you can wind up with a mead or cider that tastes starkly different from its starting ingredients. 

Technically, you can make mead from any run-of-the-mill, store brand honey, but that's generally not the case when it comes to professionally produced mead. Across the United States, for instance, meaderies boast varieties made with wildflower honey, orange blossom honey, and even meadowfoam — a cream-colored honey that tastes slightly like marshmallow. The type of honey used, and the proportion of honey versus water, will ultimately affect the taste, potency and sweetness of the overall drink. 

Similarly, the type of apple used in a cider can affect its final flavour. Some apple varieties, like Kingston Black or Golden Russet, are specific to cider-making, and vary in their levels of sharpness and sweetness. And it's not entirely rare to use crab apples — a smaller, tarter variety of the ubiquitous fruit. Adjacent to apple-based cider is perry, a similarly fermented fruit juice derived from fresh pears.

Mead can be more potent

Under U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau regulations, both mead and cider can legally hold an ABV of up to a whopping 24% — not unlike the alcohol content of a fortified wine. However, it's rare — if not impossible — to see mead or cider with that high of a potency. Still, mead tends to hold a higher ABV than cider. The Beer Judge Certification Program identifies several categories of mead, including hydromel, which hovers below 7.5% ABV — similar to a beer. Then, there's standard mead, which ranges from 7.5% to 14% ABV, similar to a wine, and finally sack mead, which can stretch up to 18% ABV. And, as you might have guessed, the higher the alcohol content, the sweeter the mead.

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Cider, on the other hand, tends to hover lower in its alcohol content. A typical dry cider might hold an ABV of 5% or 6%, but some varieties — like New England Style Cider — can hit higher, ranging from 7% to 13%. From there, it's extremely uncommon to see something as potent as a sack or even standard mead. Next time you encounter either drink on a menu, skip your typical glass of beer and try a sip of cider or mead — or try both, and compare.

https://www.tastingtable.com/1675594/mead-vs-cider-difference/