Drinks Review: Hive Mind, British Made Honey Drinks

If you’re looking for a natural, eco-friendly drink this summer, check out Hive Mind. What they’re creating will blow your mind.

Hive Mind are a Welsh company on the mission of making carbon neutral natural soft and alcoholic beverages… with you name it… honey.

Say no to artificial sweeteners and sugars and say hi to British honey. Quite the bees knees if you ask us.

“Our products come from a love of nature and this area. The Wye Valley is unique in it’s biodiversity, which is excellent news for bees’.

So, let’s talk about the products.

Sparkling Mead

Their sparkling mead range is a modern take on the world’s oldest drink. By using honey, they’ve created flavourful drinks naturally gluten free and with less sugar and calories than beer and cider.

Our favourites include:

Honey and elderflower – This was our top choice, super refreshing and such a classic pairing. In terms of flavour strength, I enjoyed this the most. The elderflower flavouring is dainty and not too floral, let’s face it, nobody wants to taste flowers.

I’d recommend it served cold and perfect for a picnic as seen below!

Pure Honey – Sometimes the classic is always the way forward. I’d strongly recommend if you’re into sweeter drinks like cider as of course, the honey flavour packs a punch. As a usual cider drinker, I would make the switch to this as it’s a lot lighter and less sickly so a win-win for the summer months. Ideal for those who like simple flavours.

See the full range here

Honeyade

With just 48kcals per can, this could make the perfect summer spritz for you.

In general, we found the flavours more subtle which is ideal if you’re pairing, however if you want something which packs a punch, these may not be for you. The Honeyade isn’t that fizzy – ideal if you have a more sensitive tummy but don’t expect a classic fizzy drink!

Our favourites:

Strawberry and Basil – In the past few years I’ve seen this becoming a more mainstream flavour combination and I can see why. Despite the subtle flavouring, you can still taste both flavour counterparts which is exactly what you want from a drink like this. It’s my favourite out the bunch tried.

Lime and Mint – Can you name a more refreshing flavouring?  If you were having a summer social I could see this being a hit in a sharing jug. This was a close second in terms of flavour, again, a classic combination, and the perfect amount of sweetness. The only thing we would change is a little bit more fizziness and perhaps a hint more of lime, but perhaps we’re comparing too much to a traditional lime drink!

View all the Honeyade flavours here

The Marketing

Now we can’t end this review without talking about the packaging! Look how beautiful each design is. The colour schemes have been perfectly curated for each flavouring, and we love the can art.

Of course, the back is our favourite, the ‘2000 miles flown, 73000 flowers visited’ adds a thoughtful touch to keep nature at the forefront of your mind. It reminds me of the Innocent smoothie quantities of each fruit section! Great marketing!

Overall, the drinks are great for summer and lower calories than your traditional beverages.

I preferred the sparkling mead to the Honeyade as I like stronger flavours, but I can see the appeal of both to different target markets. I’d recommend the Honeyade if you like a softer drink with subtle flavourings.

Check Hive Mind out here

Written by Tamara Lawrence

Disclaimer: All products were gifted to us in exchange for a review, but the review itself contains the honest opinions of the writer.