Several months ago, while reading up on bourbon, I came across an article about mead and it piqued my interest. So I started reading as much as I could about mead. The more I read, the more I wanted to try it. This lead me to hitting up all the local liquor stores in search of this divine nectar. I found a few different brands from a few places to start. One of the first stops was at my favorite store, Pour Vous, where I found Viking Blod from Dansk Mjød. Now being new to mead, I wasn't sure what to expect but I had read some good things about Viking Blod so I was excited to try it. I was not prepared for what I experienced but needless to say, I am hooked on mead!!!!
Now that we got all that out of the way, let's get on with my review. First, let me say that I am not a professional reviewer, a sommelier, bartender or in anyway associated with the alcohol industry. I am just someone who enjoys a casual drink and I like what I like whether it is mead, bourbon, beer or some other intoxicating elixir. So with the disclaimer out of the way, here is my review (opinion) about Dansk Mjød's Viking Blod.
Viking Blod is a metheglin labeled as "Nordic honey wine with hibiscus and hops added" and claims to be "based on a recipe from about year 1700." It comes in at a strong 19% Alc./Vol. but does not drink like it. It's bottled in a stoneware looking bottle (it's probably glass though) which adds to the experience that it's from days of yore.
Appearance: In the glass, we have a clear, reddish tinted mead bordering on an orange color. This mead showed light to medium legs... I'm sorry, with wine I think it's called tearing.
Nose: The initial nosing gave a moderate honey aroma but then additional scents of possibly stone-fruit along with a floral essence (from the hibiscus maybe). I couldn't detect the hops or at least it didn't have that hoppy aroma to me.
Palate: My initial thoughts on the palate were sweetness and strong notes of honey but then I started tasting some floral notes with a background of the stone-fruit once again. The mouthfeel was creamy with a very light tannin quality that ended in a medium finish. Still no discernible hops to my untrained palate.
Conclusion: Viking Blod is a really nice mead and like I said earlier, it drinks nowhere near its 19% Alc./Vol. which could be a dangerous thing. It has the ability to sneak up on you if you aren't careful. There is the obvious sweetness from the honey but it isn't cloyingly sweet. The hibiscus helps level the flavor profile some and though there are hops in there somewhere, I'm not for sure if they came into play. I know this won't be every one's cup of tea... errr, mead, but I think you should definitely try it if you get the chance. Just my thoughts.
Well, that's it for this time. Make sure to check back later for more mead (and bourbon) reviews. Until then, nunc est bibendum (translated: now is the time to drink)!
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