Maxwell Liqueur Mead

Appearance: Pale amber/gold. Clear with no particles. Aroma: Mulled wine (heavy on the cloves), orange marmalade, ginger, cinnamon. The empty glass smells strongly of cloves and cinnamon. Flavor and Texture: Sweet with a mild heat. A touch of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, some orange and dried apricot, and even a hint of honey, but everything is overshadowed by an immense clove flavor. The texture is good, similar to a botrytis riesling. The aftertaste is sweet spiced honey. Normally, I wouldn't review mead on this platform as it's a fermented product akin to wine and beer, but this liqueur mead clocks in at 18% ABV, making it comparable to honey liqueurs and amari. This is a truly frustrating product because it seems to be a good honey-based liqueur overwhelmed by an absurd amount of spice, specifically cloves. Consequently, it lacks any nuance or subtlety. Apparently, the distillery bases this on their core spiced mead but then adds even more spices and increases the strength by about three times through spirit fortification. It's certainly not unpleasant to drink, even strangely compelling, but the clove influence is so dominant it overpowers the nose and palate to the point where it's practically a clove liqueur with hints of honey, rather than a honey liqueur. I can't fathom why they felt the need to be so heavy-handed with the spices, as the liqueur would be significantly better without it. If it were presented without the spice, I'd likely rate this around 3.5, as the aroma and palate are fundamentally good (as far as I can tell). However, as it stands, I can only view this recipe as a curiously awkward sideshow attraction. "Adequate": 74/100 (2.25 stars)

Pale gold color, with sweet honey and herbal notes. I enjoyed it.