Leatherwood Honey Mead

[tradowsk]

I'm looking at some options for a really special traditional mead, and I came across Tasmanian Leatherwood honey.

Has anyone ever tried this honey or a mead made from it?

The tasting notes are a bit odd, so I want to know if I'm gonna spend a lot of money to make something with too weird of a flavor.

 

[tradowsk]

So I decided to splurge and buy a small 12oz jar of the leatherwood honey. Should be good for a 375mL and a 500mL bottle as a test batch.

The aroma is very floral, but in a good way. Some tropical fruit notes as well, and some things I can't quite figure out. Very complex. The taste is surprisingly light. The floral notes are there but balanced by some acidity and fruitiness. Reminds me of the ikea elderflower juice in a way. This is a truly remarkable honey, and I would be shocked if it made a mead that was anything less than phenomenal.

I pitched D47 today with an OG of 1.100. I saved about 1-2 oz of the honey for backsweetening, and will be adding FermO but in smaller doses than TOSNA recommends. Can't wait to see how this turns out!

 

[REDRUM]

Looking forward to hearing how this goes ... Leatherwood honey has a very particular taste that most people either love or hate. I'm not a fan but in mead form it could be really interesting!

 

[tradowsk]

Looking forward to hearing how this goes ... Leatherwood honey has a very particular taste that most people either love or hate. I'm not a fan but in mead form it could be really interesting!

I'll keep you updated! It's fermenting away happily at the moment, SG 1.079.

If I can ask, what specifically don't you like about the leatherwood honey? Is it the aroma or something in the taste that you aren't a fan of?

 

[REDRUM]

It's got a really intense floral flavour, almost spicy / bitter .. I hated it as a kid (spent part of my childhood in Tasmania and we had it pretty regularly because mum & dad loved it) but now I can appreciate it and would certainly want to give it a go as a mead.

 

[tradowsk]

SG is down to 1.006, so I racked off the gross lees to secondary to let is degas and clear.

Aroma: definitely floral, though not in a sickly sweet way. Like walking into a flower shop with a citrus tree outside. Fresh and light.

Taste: young so it's a bit flat at the moment. Getting some pear, tropical fruit (pineapple/mango), lemon citrus, and floral undertones. Slight acidity. Will probably backsweeten a bit with the remaining leatherwood honey.

 

[tradowsk]

Bavksweetened (with remaining leatherwood honey) and bottled yesterday. I went up to 1.040 SG, which is a lot sweeter than I normally do, but I felt this batch could take it. The honey is light and not syrupy, so it didn't have any cloying sweetness even at that level.

Maybe just because it's young, but I noticed that the tropical fruit flavors were very muted but the floral aroma and taste were fairly pronounced. That's part of the reason I backsweetened so much, to bring out more of the sweet fruit flavors. Time will tell, but I have only 2 bottles so if it' too flowery it's not a big loss.

Planning to let this bottle age a few months, will update with tasting notes when I crack open a bottle in the fall.

 

[tradowsk]

Cracked open the first 375mL bottle tonight.

It was very interesting! The floral aroma dominates, but some tropical fruit pokes through as well. The taste was surprisingly mild for the high sweetness level. Big floral hit, but in a good way. Bosc pear was the first thing to come to mind.

I think overall it was good but needed something to be great. Maybe some pineapple in secondary or some glycerin to add body. Or acid blend maybe.

Either way, I think it is definitely worth it despite the high price. Everyone agreed it was a very memorable mead.

 

[distancerunner]

Hold the second bottle back for a year. See how it matures.