Common
Questions
What is mead?
Mead—or honey wine—is Ireland’s oldest drink. Naturally gluten-free, authentic mead is crafted from four essential elements: honey, water, yeast, and time.
What strength are your meads?
We craft bespoke meads ranging from 5% to 14% ABV, tailored to your preference and infused with botanicals of your choice—from subtle floral notes to rich, aromatic spices.
How long does it take to make mead?
Crafting authentic mead requires patience. It takes a minimum of six months to ferment and mature properly, though our preference is to age it for a full year to let the flavor profile fully develop.
Do you offer bespoke wedding packages?
Yes. We provide curated mead toasts, personalized mini-bottle wedding favours for guests, and authentic shared-cup ceremony moments with our Celtic Love Cup.
What are your mead-making experiences?
We host guided, hands-on mead workshops for corporate team days, private groups, and celebrations. Guests learn the history, ferment their own batch, and take home the mead they make. We also offer the option to take home a mead-making kit to continue your journey.
How can I get in touch or place an order?
You can reach out directly via our contact form or email us at sean@irishmead.ie to inquire about bookings, experiences, or corporate gifting.
Is mead becoming more popular?
Yes. Mead has seen a real resurgence over the last decade, particularly in the United States, where the number of craft meaderies has grown roughly fourfold since the early 2000s. In the UK and across Europe, artisan producers are pushing the category further with lower-ABV, session-style meads and botanical infusions, building on the region’s centuries-old mead heritage.
Do you use your own honey?
Yes. All the honey used in our mead is our own — harvested from our bees on Inishturk Island, and across our apiaries in Wicklow and Mayo.
Are you beekeepers?
Yes. We’re run by experienced and ethical beekeepers, dedicated to the wellbeing of our bees and the conservation of Ireland’s native honey bee.
What is the idea behind the Native Irish Honey Bee Sanctuary?
The Irish native honey bee — Apis mellifera mellifera — has been in serious decline for the last twenty years and is now designated an endangered species. Our sanctuary occupies a fifteen-kilometre offshore, biosecure environment on Inishturk Island, designed to protect and research the native Irish honey bee and safeguard its future.