The word derives from the ancient practice of giving one lunar month’s supply of mead, thought to be an aphrodisiac, to newlyweds.

Humourless fans of the HBO ratings smasher quickly pointed out that mead has neither been mentioned nor drunk in the programme, but journalists didn’t allow this minor detail to get in the way of a good story. Nowadays it ranges from around 5% to 20% alcohol, can be still or sparkling, as dry as proper sherry or as sweet as a pixie princess trilling ‘Hey nonny no’ on a marshmallow mushroom. We’ve had Game of Thrones theme nights requesting mead,’ says Sophia Fenton of The Cornish Mead Company, which has seen an uplift in sales since the series began. This stuff is severely backsweetened, meaning it has a tonne of sugar in just to make it taste like anything resembling palatable.A genuine change from the norm and you just know you could be toasting Beowulf or Boudica with a flagon of this stuff. He uses lager yeast to produce ‘a crisp, refreshing finish to balance the sweetness of the honey’, though surely missed a trick by failing to name his eponymous meadery Virgin Meadia.

The earliest authentic mead styles include cyser mead (made with honey and fermented apple juice), sack mead (with high honey, high alcohol content) and who could forget metheglin (flavoured with herbs and spices)? And sure enough, long after Henry VIII began to do away with the monasteries – and their beekeeping, mead-making monks – the honey-based hooch of yesteryear is back. The top tipple in the court of King Arthur, Beowulf’s beverage of choice, mead is also referenced in the works of Chaucer, Shakespeare, Tolkien and in the Harry Potter books, although it has always inspired a small but loyal following among fantasistas of the swords, sandals and sorcery persuasion. You'll also find the manufacturer's details on there and should drop them a line if you need further info about any of the ingredients used - they'll be happy to help.Tom Gosnell quit Virgin Media to brew a distinctively light, sparkling modern mead in Peckham, southeast London. In America mead sales grew by 130% from 2012 and 2013, according to the American Mead Makers Association. You should also note that the picture images show only our serving suggestions of how to prepare your food - all table accessories and additional items and/or ingredients pictured with the product you are purchasing are not included.

This delicous English tipple blends the finest ingredients to provide a delicately sweet mouthwatering flavour and rich golden honey colour. I have brewed mead for many years and if you have never tried mead I heartly recommend you try this one, then try others and you will see the truth of the matter! Mead was brewed in China 9,000 years ago and the earliest evidence of European consumption is around 2800BC. The original mead was simply fermented honey diluted with water, making it the world’s most ancient known alcoholic drink.

The material is for general information only and does not constitute investment, tax, legal, medical or other form of advice. Delicious, and fabulously drinkable, a bottle of this at a party is highly unlikely to hang around for 10 minutes, never mind 10,000 years. It may not be reproduced in any way whatsoever without Morrisons' prior consent, or without due acknowledgement.

Disclaimer We've put this info together to help you get a feel for the product and have tried to make sure everything's correct. This delicious English tipple blends the finest ingredients to provide a rich golden honey colour and delicately sweet, aromatic and mouth watering flavours of acacia blossom. And after a snort of this lovely, slightly gooey, honeycomb-laden sipping wine you'll wonder why we don't drink it more often. They attributed this growth to the improving quality of mead and some even linked it with the phenomenal success of Game of Thrones. From the moment you open the bottle till you finish the last drop, this mead is sweet, smooth and easy drinking with its traditional recipe and wonderful honey aroma and taste.Raise a goblet of this before your next quest to win fair maiden's favour (or at least put fair maiden's shelves up). It may not be reproduced in any way whatsoever without Wm Morrisons Supermarkets Limited prior consent, nor without due acknowledgement. It is entirely possible that mead-making even predates farming, which might explain its new following among the very latest demographic, the urban bearded hipster who has already clasped craft beer to his hairy chest. Serve neat or try it over ice with a splash of cloudy lemonade and a shot of vodka for a "Bitter Viking" cocktail.