The early release of this summer’s seasonal edition gives a good opportunity to go behind the scenes with the mead maker.
How did this edition come about?
We have a long term relationship with the beekeeper we source honeydew honey from. He had a friend with hives in the Marlborough Sounds, who happened to have the misfortune of some honey starting to ferment, making the honey unsaleable. We’d had some experience with making mead from such honey, so we agreed to buy it from the beekeeper. It offered an interesting opportunity to make a batch from a very localised honey source.
I liked the sound of Marlborough Sounds bush honey, having made little test batches of bush honey before i knew it could be delicious.
What is the honey source?
Bees only travel a certain distance from the hive, so this edition shoecases the flowers and flora that make up this particular slice of Aotearoa.
Beekeeping is tricky in Marlborough Sounds. The views are stunning, the ocean is a unique blue. Roads are so windy some beekepers don’t bother with roads, but bring hives in by boat. Keeping bees here requires incredible dedication.
Is there anything unique about the batch process?
Obviously we use fermentation to create mead. Honey that has already started to ferment, usually ferments very vigorously - so it’s important to keep a close eye on it. But other than this, my role as the mead maker is to do as little as possible so that the natural flavours come forward.
How does it compare to other batches and products of Undisturbed?
It is a summer-y mead. Light & crisp, quite wine-like in its texture. Of all our meads that come from the forest, ‘Marlborough Summer’ is the most refreshing.
With Marlborough being such a strong wine country, its fun to offer people an experience of that place in a beverage that isn’t grape. Those who know the Sounds will be able to reminisce - while others will get a chance to taste and connect to the place - maybe it will inspire people to go explore more.
Any ideas for other future batches?
I’d like to do more batches of bush honey from specific parts of Aotearoa. But, to do so requires a connection with an independent beekeeper… these tend to come our way in their own time, and i’m happy to roll with that.
