Hive Mind & Mead Co is bringing even greater depth to its fast-growing Tavern mead success story, with two exciting new editions arriving this November. Meet Hedgerow and Spiced: two characterful new expressions that build on the original Tavern's disruptive approach to making authentic British honey mead accessible to a new generation of drinkers.
First up is Hedgerow, an unapologetically British celebration of the countryside, inspired by the distinctly tart, tangy and wonderfully evocative flavours of the traditional British hedgerow.
Then there's Spiced, a warming, aromatic creation showcasing the complementary flavours of ginger and cinnamon. Equally at home served chilled or gently warmed, it offers a stylish, characterful alternative to traditional mulled wine as the evenings draw in. There's even a fascinating nod to mead's heritage here: traditionally, spiced and herbed meads were known as metheglins, a word believed to have given us the term medicine.
The two arrivals follow the Spring 2026 launch of the original Tavern, a deliberately disruptive addition to Hive Mind's expanding mead portfolio which has quickly established itself as a compelling new entry point into the category.
The thinking was refreshingly straightforward. Create a genuinely authentic mead, made from 100% honey, but at a more approachable 8% ABV rather than the traditional 14–18% associated with many meads. The result is a lighter, more accessible proposition designed to appeal to curious drinkers looking for something different, without compromising on provenance, craftsmanship or flavour.
Crucially, that lower strength also allows Tavern to occupy a more accessible price point, challenging an entry-level marketplace too often populated by products that bear little resemblance to genuine honey mead, relying instead on wine-based ingredients, flavourings and added sugars.
For Hive Mind, this is about more than launching another couple of drinks. It's about giving authentic British mead the platform, personality and contemporary relevance it deserves.
According to Hive Mind co-founder Kit Newell:
"We wanted to put a real marker down for Welsh entrepreneurship, our nation's hard-working beekeepers and the wider rural economy. Tavern was created to showcase award-winning, genuinely authentic honey mead in the best possible light, while opening the door to a much wider audience. The response to the original has been incredibly encouraging, and these two new editions allow us to build on that momentum, bring even more personality to the category and take the Tavern story further across the British Isles and beyond."
With Hedgerow and Spiced joining the original, Tavern is demonstrating that traditional mead needn't be confined by tradition. Rooted in British honey, inspired by the countryside and created with a distinctly modern outlook, Hive Mind is giving this historic drink a thoroughly contemporary new chapter.
And this is only the beginning.
