Maker: B. Nektar, Ferndale, Michigan
Style: Wildflower mead aged in rye whiskey barrels for one year.
ABV: 19.5%
Purchased for: $25/375 ml
Appearance: pale gold with big thick legs.
Nose: Brown butter, oak, overdone fruitcake, dandelion stems.
On the palate: Sweet and full bodied. Honey, citrus, cut clover, old oak, woodruff.
Finish: Sweet and viscous. Some acrid oak and orange peel. Then fades slowly.
Parting words: This is a good one. It’s much more drinkable than the first bourbon barrel finished mead they did. The bitter edges of the mead are taken off by the barrel aging and probably my cellaring for even longer. I still have one bottle held back in reserve.
It’s a cliché, but this mead is dangerous for the pocketbook and the brain. It tastes like a before dinner drink but it’s at an after dinner ABV. The price is steep but it’s a one-off and delicious. Sleeping Giant is going to be really hard to find at this point, but consider my recommendation as an endorsement of all B. Nektar barrel aged meads. Sleeping Giant is highly recommended.
Sipology 