Gosnells has relaunched its mead in a larger 75cl bottle with a new label design in order to align the product more with wine than with beer. Credit: Gosnells.

London’s only commercial mead producer Gosnells has relaunched its mead in a larger 75cl bottle with a new label design in order to align the product more with wine than with beer.

Gosnells’ lightly sparkling mead is produced by fermenting blends of honey with water, so, unlike many traditional beer offerings, it is gluten free.

It has a 5.5% alcohol by volume, which is much lower than traditional meads and the company this believes will help it tap into the current low-alcohol trend. The mead will retail at between £10 and £12.

The company primarily uses blossom honeys led by Spanish orange blossom honey. The relationship between mead and honey explains why it is sometimes referred to as ‘honey wine’.

Gosnells’ founder Tom Gosnell said: “The majority of our honey comes from Spanish orange groves, and this provides a consistent flavour profile, combining elements of sourdough bread, a certain richness and an edge of gentle orange.”

“For many producers, the honey is blended with other sugar sources such as barley or wheat. This has its roots historically where, even thousands of years ago, wheat was used as a cheaper alternative than honey. But we have opted for honey, water and time so as to create a drink which reflects the delicacy of our honey.

“Mead’s time has come. We’re aiming to build on our success with this new format and continue to drive sales in the UK and abroad.”

The brand was created by Tom Gosnell after he travelled along the East Coast of US and being exposed to good quality US mead.