So I have this honey, distill or make mead?

Alcoholic beverages which are not classified as spirits.

Moderator: Site Moderator

Post Reply
Havenor
Novice
Posts: 48
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2014 5:41 am

So I have this honey, distill or make mead?

Post by Havenor »

I'm not a big beer drinker, and I have this honey, but I'm sure my family would like mead. Here is my question, bang for the buck, is honey better distilled or made into a mead? I want to utilize it wisely. I'd hate to end up with shine that is marginally better than sugar if I distill it. Do we have people here who have done both, or tried both? Please, can I get some feedback? :?:
User avatar
shadylane
Master of Distillation
Posts: 10364
Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2007 11:54 pm
Location: Hiding In the Boiler room of the Insane asylum

Re: So I have this honey, distill or make mead?

Post by shadylane »

Make mead
User avatar
ShineonCrazyDiamond
Global moderator
Posts: 3433
Joined: Thu Feb 27, 2014 6:14 pm
Location: Look Up

Re: So I have this honey, distill or make mead?

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

shadylane wrote:Make mead
+1

Distilling would just be dry and hot.
"Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond."
User avatar
dieselduo
Rumrunner
Posts: 714
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2012 11:36 am
Location: Florida

Re: So I have this honey, distill or make mead?

Post by dieselduo »

I'm with the mead. Honey seems a waste of money to distill
User avatar
Wooday
Swill Maker
Posts: 232
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2015 7:14 am

Re: So I have this honey, distill or make mead?

Post by Wooday »

Mead, unless you already have enough mead for 5 years and an extra 100lb of honey.

Honey's too expensive to waste on learning your cuts.
User avatar
NZChris
Master of Distillation
Posts: 13062
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:42 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: So I have this honey, distill or make mead?

Post by NZChris »

Make Joe's Ancient Orange Mead, then, either drink it as mead, or blend it with whiskey and simple syrup to make Glayva style liqueurs.
rad14701
retired
Posts: 20865
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 4:46 pm
Location: New York, USA

Re: So I have this honey, distill or make mead?

Post by rad14701 »

Make mead... And that's coming from someone who has a shitload of honey on hand, some good and some bad... Honey is just too tough to deal with... It can be temperamental... Sugar is far more consistent from a fermenting and distilling standpoint...
User avatar
Swedish Pride
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 2644
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 2:16 am
Location: Emerald Isle

Re: So I have this honey, distill or make mead?

Post by Swedish Pride »

JD -tex did a UJ with honey instead of sugar and no backset.
he is very happy with it, should be a write up in recipe development
Don't be a dick
CanadianWhisky
Novice
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat May 28, 2016 11:53 am

Re: So I have this honey, distill or make mead?

Post by CanadianWhisky »

Having done both, I have to say go with mead. I'm sure an experienced distiller could make a great honey shine but I like my mead too much to advance on the learning curve with it.
city shiner
Bootlegger
Posts: 126
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 3:06 pm

Re: So I have this honey, distill or make mead?

Post by city shiner »

I have zero experience with distilled honey. So take that for what it's worth. But mead is amazing. The longer it sits the better it gets. I'd go with mead.
Havenor
Novice
Posts: 48
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2014 5:41 am

Re: So I have this honey, distill or make mead?

Post by Havenor »

Everyone, thanks for the reply. Patience is a virtue, something I struggle with. It's all bottled, added a little corn sugar, and sitting in my garage. It will be there until Christmas or longer. Out of sight, out of mind.
Post Reply