Profiled by Ken Carman
To me, even more than beer, mead is about balance. This is not bad, compared with some, but the alcohol creates a bitter that is unacceptable. Understand: drinkable, I enjoyed, but not a mead that is a delight to the tongue. Perhaps the bitter is tannins, but don’t think so.
I think the buckwheat honey was supposed to balance it out. It didn’t.
Medium mouthfeel, not carbonated. Moderate sweet to the nose. High; not distinguishable as far as type, honey sense to the nose, or taste.. Flavor sweet (medium) honey, firm but not over bearing acidity,
So moderately sweet, body seems medium due to buckwheat. But the alcohol just seems to pierce through it all. The acidity is fine: great in the balance. Once again it’s the alcohol that ruins the balance. The buckwheat honey is fine, just more body, more sweet (just a hint at best) and a yeast like KIV that provides complexity. This should balance out alcohol.
Otheriwse an excellent quaff. The acidity, the tannins, everything is balanced well.
Score 3.5 on a scale of 1-5.