Malmesbury Dry Mead

I’m still slowly recovering from the hangover brought on by drinking the bottle of Malmesbury washed down by half a bottle of Harvest Gold. So from what I recall a very pleasant Mead, perhaps a bit moorish and worth another more sober assessment on a different occasion.

The bottle's very noticeable for the cool picture of drunken wretches dancing from a Maypole, well sort of a Maypole as it looks more like one of Hogarth's cartoons than the merry olde English village stereotye.

From my blurred memories, the Mead was again quite smooth, with a stronger bitter taste, and a strong pleasant aroma of honey similar to that of the Lurgashall English Mead.

However I’m still intrigued by why Malmesbury is not listed on the Lurgashall website and there seems to be a suggestion that it was once produced by the Malmesbury Mead & Wine company (from 1972) before being cruelly bought out by Lurgashall in a hostile takeover. Ok perhaps I made the cruel bit up. The bottle is moderately informative:

Mead is probably the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage. This delicious drink, made from fermented honey, has been enjoyed by everyone from the ancient Greeks to Queen Elizabeth I, who, liked her Mead infused with rosemary and thyme.

The home of Aethelstan, King of England between 925 and 940 AL, Malmesbury is the oldest borough in England. Wine was first made in the area in the 11th century when a Greek monk named Constantine planted a vineyard near Malmesbury’s famous abbey.

Since 1972 the Malmesbury Mead & Wine company has used only the finest natural ingredients to produce a range of meads. Try the other varieties in our range for a true ‘Taste of the Gods’!

This mead can be enjoyed lightly chilled, or mulled with spices in winter time.

The bottle was quite expensive from the Hive at £16.95, and cheaper online £11.25 from Beers of Europe. Equally the Hive is a cool shop so go there, and support a real local business.

A random conversation with a friend reminded me of Hive the game which Hive the shop doesn’t seem to stock. On my next trip I’ll suggest it to them, and if you’re at all into games then buy a copy.

Finally there’s also a suggestion that Malmesbury Mead also goes under the name of the Tower of London Mead, but I suspect that this is a Whiskey Mead instead of the ordinary dry version. Equally perhaps a visit to the Tower to find out how much you can charge an American tourist for a bottle.