Longan & Red Dates Mead, 7% ABV — Review

This mead is part of the Liang Teh series, where dried longans and red dates that were specially rated for aroma and sweetness are added into the brew. This was the mead that won the Best In Singapore in Beerfest Asia 2023. This mead, like other seasonals from Lion City Meadery, will be gone once it is all sold out. Be warned!

Read our full deep-dive on Lion City Meadery here!

Nose: Dried longans are the dominant note on the nose. Alongside the concentrated, tropical fruit aroma of dried longans, there’s a deeply sweet honey and floral aroma - I think of osmanthus flowers and chrysanthemums. Comparing to the Classic Mead, I can barely catch any of the sour, tart aromas.

Palate: Right of, there’s the strong taste of Chinese red dates, skin and all. There’s is that medicinal bitterness from the skin of the Chinese red date, alongside its grassy sweetness. After the initial wave of red date flavours, I get the sticky sweet flavours of longan coming through. Texture wise, this mead is thick and syrupy.

Finish: The finish is very floral. The thickness of the mead lingers in the palate, retaining more longan flavours. There is also this wolfberry aroma that, while not as present on the palate, shows itself a lot more on the finish.

@vernoncelli