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Explore the Making & Tasting of Mead

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Overview

Available languages

English

1 hour

Mobile ticket

Our fun, one hour tour brings visitors on a journey through the history of mead. The stories of mead and honey are thousands of years old, and are intertwined with Ireland's myths and legends.

Taste the honey that we use to make our delicious mead. Learn all about the making of mead. Enjoy a guided tasting of this refreshingly different drink with our mead experts.

Kinsale Mead Co. is Ireland’s first Meadery in 200 years. We love to share our passion and knowledge of all things mead and honey.

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Service animals allowed

Transportation options are wheelchair accessible

All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

About Kinsale Meads | Light and Refreshing | Fermented Off dry (12% ABV) Myths & Legends | The evolution of mead through history | Stories about Myths, Legends & Kings in Ireland Bee Judgments & Honey Tasting | Ancient Irish Bee Laws | Tasting of 3 unique raw honeys | Learn about all about bees, honey & biodiversity | Bee to Bottle | Modern mead making from fermentation to bottling | The stories behind our wine & whiskey barrels that we use for maturation Tasting | Sample award-winning meads and cocktails | Kinsale Mead’s best food pairings | Family Run | Kate and Denis Dempsey love to share their passion and knowledge! Kinsale | Bustling harbour town | Gourmet capital of Ireland | Great pubs & restaurants It is also an opportunity to visit our beautiful town of Kinsale with its historic streets, harbour and great restaurants.

Sample Menu

main

Selection of Kinsale Mead Co.'s award winning meads

A guided tasting of our award winning meads will conclude the tour.

What‘s Included

Free car parking next to the meadery

Tour includes guided tasting of our award-winning meads and cocktails in the Meadery’s oak bar tasting room

Options

Explore the Making & Tasting of Mead

Reviews

4.99

153 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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  • A must experience!

    mariy909,,Nov 7, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    This intimate tour was perfect! The right blend of educational, fun, and hand on that we look for in a tour. It was a comfortable homey setting and the staff made us feel truly welcome. Plus, the mead was delicious!

  • First and only meadery in Ireland! Great tasting.

    sylviabchoi,,Oct 31, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    What a fun afternoon activity! Zara was a lovely host who told us all about the history of mead and the saints with some cheeky humor. We started the tour with a small mulled mead and then had the signature range (Wild red, Atlantic dry, Hazy summer), plus an extra pour of what was available - the Merlot and the Dark forest honey mead. We also got to walk through the meadery, with the barrels where they ferment the mead and process it. We also tried some honey, and got to taste from a special barrel of local honey. They also offer WiFi, and have one restroom in their tasting room, which has a counter with four high stools as well as four small tasting tables with stools. The bottle are so beautiful and great for gifting (there is a 3 mini sample set) and they sell the plastic air bubble packaging to protect your precious bottles for transport for only 2 euros. It’s a little tricky to find at first, but it’s at the end of the building by the fence next to Lidl, by a vet. We highly recommend visiting the only mead producer in Ireland! They’re also sustainably-minded and Origin Green certified.

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  • Fun tour for all the family

    sorchaspud,,Oct 29, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    We were a large family group & enjoyed learning about the history of mead & the taste testing. Zara was an entertaining tour guide and great with my son who kept interrupting her to ask questions (we are working on this!). The mead was delicious & loved learning about the Saints in Ireland. This was great for age 8 to 80, which was the age range of our group! The kids coloured in & enjoyed hearing the old Irish stories and tasting the honey. If I were to give a small bit of constructive feedback, it would be that the 'Irish love drinking' rhetoric is a bit clichéd for an Irish audience. Otherwise a great tour.

  • Absolutely terrific tour!

    Caroline S,,Oct 24, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Zara was brilliant!! I usually struggle to stay engaged on tours, but it was fascinating and the mead was delicious (far better than any I’ve tasted in the UK!)

  • Wonderful Experience -- Thank You Kinsale Mead Co.

    932natez,,Oct 21, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    My wife and I were fortunate to come across Kinsale Mead Co. as part of an optional excursion with Vagabond/Driftwood Tours (thank you to Eamonn, our wonderful guide for encouraging us to go). We participated in a tour of the facility and were presented with an excellent history of mead in general, but also specific to Ireland. Then on to the tasting! Now, I've tried many, many types of alcohol in my life, but never mead. Let me tell you that few drinks are as smooth as mead. It is sneaky -- at 12% or 13% alcohol by volume (depending on which flavor), you'd think that you would certainly taste the alcohol, but no. So delicious and easy to drink. Naturally, we had to buy a couple bottles of our favorites that we sampled, which for us were the Wild Red Mead and the Hazy Summer Mead, but really they were all delicious. Kate Dempsey was well prepared and of course had padded bottle protectors for our flight home, so no worries there. The bottles arrived home safe and sound. A big thank you to Kate and Denis for your warmth, your hospitality, and your excellent mead. If you're reading this and you have the opportunity to travel to Kinsale, make sure to add this stop to your trip.

  • Must Do Activity While in Kinsale

    Getaway536426,,Oct 17, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    We had a fantastic time touring the facility and learning the history of bee keeping and mead making in Ireland. The mead was amazing. We purchased a bottle to bring home and wish we could have some shipped to the US! This was the best mead I have ever tasted!

  • Excellent!

    kathleenmD9259AU,,Oct 5, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    The most education and delicious! Kate & Denise are lovely! The MEADE was magnificent! Coming BACK! Fabulous experience.

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  • It was really worth it! That's a good idea.

    Emiirishman,,Oct 1, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Intrigued by this drink of which we have always heard so much but which we had never had the chance to come across. What better occasion being on vacation not far from Kinsale? The explanations provided by Denis, the very nice and affable owner, and the small following tour made us take a dip in this unusual reality in our latitudes. And then bees, a precious asset that we must preserve! It was worth it, thanks Denis, proud Corkman! Greetings from Lara and Emiliano, from Lake Como, Italy.

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  • Worth it!

    matthI9378OT,,Sep 28, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Zara was very funny and informative. She kept us captivated with the history and making Meade. Be aware the Meade is so good you will want to take one of every type home with you.

  • The best experience in Kinsale

    M J,,Sep 27, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Came here with my Fiancé and we both had an amazing time. Stewart is very friendly, funny, and knowledgeable on the history of mead. It's the best experience to have in Kinsale.

From €25.00

4.99
(153 reviews)
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