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Kinsale Mead
Standing in the footprint of the Great Mead Hall of Tara inspired Kate and Denis Dempsey to open Ireland’s first meadery in 200 years. They set up Kinsale Mead Co. in 2016 with a vision and passion to rediscover the art of mead making and create a world-class range of Irish meads in their family run meadery in West Cork.
And that dream has come true; with a range of mead now on the market judged as among the best meads in the world, including Wildflower Mead, the first Irish Mead made commercially from Irish Honey in 200 years, as well as innovative and limited edition wine Barrel aged meads. And in 2024, they launched forest honey meads aged in whiskey casks from Midleton distillery to much acclaim.
What is Mead? - the world’s oldest alcoholic drink, with a glorious, global history 9,500 years old and counting. It’s the drink of Ireland’s Celtic kings and chieftains. Meads are fermented from honey or honey and fruit. Using the best techniques of modern wine-making and carefully selected, pure honey and berries, their meads are packed full of flavour. They are matured for up to 2 years and finished 11-12% ABV, so wine strength but without the sometimes harsh tannins. With a close eye on sustainability and as an Origin Green Gold Member, they develop and produce meads which embody the modern, refined style of mead-making.
Their honey comes from Spain along traditional trade routes to Kinsale, particularly the orange blossom honey in their Atlantic Dry Mead. Their Wild Red Mead is a melomel or fruit mead type, made from berries including Wexford blackcurrants. Hazy Summer Mead is a glass full of summer with six summer berries tantalising your tastebuds. They are versatile, either served on their own or as a lovely alternative to wine when paired with food or in a range of cocktails to delight the senses.
They have won a string of prestigious awards including multiple Blas na hEireann awards, Great Taste Awards and Drink of the Year from the Irish Food Writers’ Guild for their Wild Red Mead . In 2024, they added Guaranteed Irish, Drink Producer of the Year to their haul.
They are always looking to improve their recipes and to develop new and amazing meads. Their drinks have garnered attention in Michelin starred restaurants, top hotels and bars .
Kate and Denis hail from Coventry and Rosscarbery in West Cork. After raising a family, they decided it was time for a change. And at some point they joked, why don’t we start our own meadery? Where do you go to make that kind of decision? – for them, it was on the Hill of Tara in the footprint of the Great Mead Hall where they said, ‘Why not?’
Their journey from Tara to Kinsale wouldn’t have been possible without the great support and guidance from working with the Food Academy at Supervalu, their local Enterprise Office and Bord Bia. Now they’re working hard, making wonderful mead in West Cork where they also run popular tours and tastings.
