Mountain Mead: From Shed to Spotlight - The Craft Revival Brewing in North Wales

Mountain Mead - The Craft Revival

Bangor, Gwynedd isn’t the first place most people would look for the revival of one of the world’s oldest alcoholic drinks. But tucked away in this scenic stretch of North Wales, Mountain Mead is quietly becoming one of the UK’s most compelling artisan drinks producers - blending ancient tradition with modern experimentation and a deep respect for nature.

What began as a slightly tipsy conversation in a shed has evolved into a multi-award-winning meadery on the verge of scaling production from 7,000 bottles a year to over 42,000. At the heart of it all is Mike Cooke, Mountain Mead’s founder, director, and accidental alchemist.

“It all started with hedgerow wines,” says Mike. “I used to forage berries and flowers while working on a sheep farm, then make homemade wines with bits of borrowed equipment. One day, I picked up an old CJ Berry wine-making book - they all had just a little paragraph on mead. I’d never tried it, but I thought, why not?”

That “why not?” led to a decade-long deep dive into the world of mead - from failed early batches poured straight down the drain, to international awards and a growing reputation for flavour-led, heritage-inspired innovation.

Reviving a Drink with 9,000 Years of History

Mead - the fermented blend of honey and water - predates wine, beer and cider, with origins going back as far as 7000 BC. But Mike was particularly drawn to its Welsh legacy, which he describes with infectious passion.

“Wales has a huge history of mead production,” he explains. “One of the earliest forms of preserving medicinal herbs was to throw them into a spiced mead. The word ‘metheglin’, now used globally to describe spiced mead, actually comes from the Welsh language - from ‘meddyglyn’, meaning ‘doctor’s liquor’.”

This depth of history is reflected in the brand’s philosophy: to make authentic, high-quality meads using proper fermentation, real honey, and no artificial additives. Mike imports honey from specialist producers across Europe - Ukrainian sunflower, Lithuanian buckwheat, Bulgarian lavender - to experiment with different varietals and flavour profiles.

“We don’t just make a product called mead,” he says. “We make actual mead. Nothing watered down, no sugar syrup, no chemicals - just honey, water, and imagination.”

An Experimental Edge

While Mountain Mead is rooted in tradition, it’s far from stuck in the past. Alongside their award-winning sweet and medium meads, Mike has developed a core range that includes:

• Cacao & Vanilla mead, aged on French oak

• Spiced Metheglin

• Cherry Bochet (made with caramelised honey and sour cherries)

• Banana & Vanilla Mead - “a test batch that’s turned into a customer favourite”

  
  

Recent collaborations with Welsh tea blenders Morgan’s Brew have also pushed flavour boundaries. One limited release combines Lapsang Souchong & Assam for a smoky profile, another features peppermint, fennel, and sage in what Mike describes as “almost a savoury mead - one of my favourites I’ve ever made.”

“There’s a mead for every mood,” he says. “Warm it like mulled wine in winter, sip it chilled in a wine glass, or mix it into a ‘mead-a-colada’ - that’s my desert island drink!”

Some of the wonderful Mountain Mead Range

Sustainability at Its Core

Beyond flavour, Mountain Mead is built on a strong ethical foundation.

“One of our taglines is ‘Drink Mead, Save the Bees’,” Mike explains. “By using real honey, we’re creating demand that supports beekeepers and biodiversity. We also try to eliminate plastic across all our packaging - even down to replacing the last rolls of plastic tape with paper ones.”

This commitment to sustainability runs throughout the business - from importing ethically sourced honey, to white labelling with local Welsh producers whenever possible.

Recognition and What’s Next

Mountain Mead has already racked up accolades - including four Great Taste Awards, gold at Spain’s national mead competition, and a Mead Madness Cup win for their now-scarce lavender mead.

But the next year marks a major new chapter: the business is relocating to a larger facility where production will scale sixfold, with hopes to secure SALSA certification, launch a taproom, and expand white-label collaborations and wholesale stockists.

“We want to get things right - not just grow for the sake of it,” Mike says. “But this move opens the door to supermarkets, exports, and hopefully turning more people on to what real mead can be.”

Where to Find Mountain Mead

Mountain Mead sells primarily direct-to-consumer via their website:🌍 www.mountainmead.co.uk

📦 Also stocked in:

• Spirit of Anglesey, Beaumaris

• Penrhyn Castle (National Trust)

• Sheeps & Leeks, Caernarfon

You can also find them at major Welsh food festivals including the Royal Welsh Show, Menai Bridge Food Festival, and Abergavenny Food Festival.

Follow along:Instagram & Facebook: @mountainmeadltd

Final Word

What started with shed talk and spilt batches has become one of the most exciting craft drinks stories in the UK. Authentic, sustainable, and always evolving - Mountain Mead is more than just a nod to history. It’s a drink for now.

“I want people to taste our mead and feel like they’ve tried something real,” Mike says. “Not mass-produced, not synthetic - just real ingredients, made with care.”