The only meadery with products worth drinking (Mount Vincent in
Mudgee) closed down when the mead meker retired and her kids weren't
interested in keeping it running.
I was reading through a few old brewing magazines (Home Brewer) which was
published in the early '90's and there was a feature in one about Mt Vincent. Jane
Nevell was the meadmaker and a long time ago I was shares in a slow racehorse
with her husband, John, the local dentist.
I grew up in Mudgee and as a nineteen year old (40 years ago!!) my mum and I
used to make the treacherous trip up Mt Vincent and spend a few hours sampling
Jane's mead. Good stuff but the trip back into town was a dicey affair.
The Home Brewer article was mainly about a new product she had called 'Skal'
which was being promoted as a mead ale. She used Pride of Ringwood (only
7 ounces in 300 gallons!) and the local honey.
My mum still lives in Mudgee and I'm going up in couple of weeks. I think she has
a couple of bottles still hidden away.
Home Brewer had a recipe for the Skal Ale which was pretty basic. Anyone who
would like the recipe feel free to PM me with an email address and I'll send it on.
Cheers,
Phil