A spiced mead — honey fermented with spices, herbs, or other aromatics (the traditional name ‘metheglin’ comes from the Welsh for a spiced, medicinal mead). The spice character should be evident and harmonious over the honey base. Sweetness ranges from dry to sweet.
In the glass
Appearance
Clear to brilliant; color from very pale to deep gold depending on the honey (and any added fruit or spice).
Aroma
Honey and the declared spices or herbs together, balanced; neither should bury the other.
Flavor
Honey character infused with spice or herbal notes — warming spices, herbs, tea, flowers, or similar — kept in balance; sweetness as declared.
Mouthfeel
Medium body; spice can add a perception of warmth or texture; sweetness balanced.
Origin
Spiced meads are ancient: honey was infused with herbs and spices both for flavor and as folk medicine, and the Welsh-derived term ‘metheglin’ specifically denotes such a spiced, medicinal mead. The tradition continues among modern meaderies.
Notes
Metheglin is the spice/herb member of the mead family — distinct from fruit meads (melomels). When both fruit and spice feature prominently, it crosses into the fruit-and-spice mead territory.
Defining examples
Rabbit’s Foot Meadery Chaucer’s·Redstone Juniper Mountain Honey Wine
Sources
BJCP 2015 · M3BSpice, Herb, or Vegetable Mead
Wikipedia contributors. “Mead.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed June 14, 2026.
↗Wiktionary contributors. “metheglin.” Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Accessed June 26, 2026.
↗Schramm, Ken. The Compleat Meadmaker: Home Production of Honey Wine from Your First Batch to Award-Winning Fruit and Herb Variations. Boulder, CO: Brewers Publications, 2003.