Does Mead Age in the Bottle?

All our meads will improve, over time. This is a simple fact. Practically speaking, some will improve more than others and there really is no way to know, in advance, exactly what your result will be. But, as the mead sits in the bottle, it will undergo a “mellowing” process that allows some notes to come forward, while others retreat. The core composition will never change nor will the basic flavor, but the tones will fluctuate.

We’ve seen surprising success with some of our labels, and have tried to encourage (unsuccessfully) our fans to keep a bottle for a year or more and experience the difference. Harmony, for example, seems to change dramatically as it ages in the bottle. The seasonal mead begins with strong notes of clove and allspice, reminding anyone who tries it of the holidays. But after a year in the bottle, the notes are so dramatically different, that we refer to it as a different name (same label, though), Symphony. An aged Symphony is a far more balanced mead, with all the rough edges smoothed out offering a balanced, lighter experience. This can only be accomplished by letting the mead age in the bottle.

It’s not just Harmony. We’ve experimented with some of our Signature meads, which are very consistent, doing taste tests to see how they age. We’ve found that Bliss ages astonishingly well, producing a less sweet, thinner viscosity that allows the pear flavor to pass the almond flavor. There is no practical way to experience this without allowing the mead to age. And like Bliss, Solifaction will go through the same process. Smoothing out, over time, to make a mellow, less dry experience, letting the latent sweetness emerge.

Creating an “Aged” Flight
If you want to create an experience for yourself or your friends, we suggest storing a few bottles of mead, out of the sun at room temperature, for 6 months to a year. When you are ready to test it, pick up the same labels from the meadery (they will be the most recent) and do some taste testing. For the best results, we suggest trying Bliss, Solifaction, Harmony or Mangata. They will age the most dramatically, offering you something truly different.