GEORGIANS IN A STATE OF BLISS AS VIKING ALCHEMIST WINS “BEST MEAD IN GEORGIA,” AGAIN
Smyrna, Georgia – November, 2023 - The Viking Alchemist Meadery’s Signature mead, Bliss, has been awarded Best Mead in Georgia in the 2022 Georgia Trustees Wine & Spirits Challenge for the fifth time. After skipping the 2020 entry due to Pandemic challenges, the meadery returned strong again in 2021, winning Best Mead. With the 2022 win, Bliss has won the category every year the meadery started entering in 2017.
Described as a “sweeter” mead, Bliss carries a smoother, softer flavor than dry meads, allowing the mellow, delicate taste of honey to come forward. Brewed with pear and almond, Bliss has been described to be reminiscent of amaretto, inspiring memories of summer afternoons and warm meadows.
Bliss is one of the six Signature meads brewed by the Viking Alchemist Meadery, forming the foundation for a broad line of meads which also include seasonal and barrel-aged meads. The Viking Alchemist will be celebrating it’s 7th anniversary in 2023. For 5 of those 7 years, Bliss has been voted Best in Georgia, making it a dominant player in modern meaderies in Georgia. .
In addition to Bliss, the meadery won an additional 9 medals for other meads, including sours, for the second year in a row, introducing an entirely new type of mead.
“Thanks to our supporters and our partners, we’ve been able to get through some difficult years. Last year, competition was second place to survival and quality,” says Robin Kosoris, owner. “We’re grateful to return to a thriving community and, once again, celebrate our art with our Georgia peers. Georgians really are in a ‘State of Bliss.’”
The mead category has been increasing in interest and popularity, over the past years thanks, in large part, to television and movies popularizing the drink. Though there have been innovations in flavor profiles, the industry has not seen a dramatic change until this year.
About the Viking Alchemist Meadery
The Viking Alchemist is a family and veteran owned Meadery and Cidery, established in 2015, Marietta GA. The Mead is sold and distributed throughout Georgia with a tasting room open Thursday-Sunday. Over the 5 years of operation, the Meadery has developed a reputation for merging modern sensibilities with the ancient craft of mead making, earning the reputation of an “alchemist.”
About Georgia in the Georgia Trustees Wine & Spirits Challenge
Founded by Parks Redwine, Jane Garvey, and Douglas Mabry, the Georgia Trustees Wine and Spirits Challenge recognizes the increased excellence of Georgia-produced wines and wines produced from out-of-state-grown grapes by Georgia vintners. Since 2016, the “Challenge” has been the measure of the progress made by the Georgia wine industry and a means by which peer review can foster industry improvements.
What is Mead?
Mead is likely the oldest alcoholic beverage humans have enjoyed. Cultures, around the world, independently discovered the art of fermenting honey into mead. Each culture is slightly different, but the basic formula is the same: Water, honey and yeast.