Any advantage to bottling?

Hey all, I have a mead that I plan on testing out at Christmas this year. It has a stable SG, and I'm not concerned about whether I'd be bottling too early if I bottled today. I was just wondering if there was an advantage to bottling. If I want it to be at its best for Xmas, should I look to bottle sooner or later? Does it need much time to settle after I've bottled it before drinking, or is bulk conditioning the way to go until nearly the time of drinking?

Thanks

i'm not for sure but it doesnt seem to matter if it sits in a bottle or a bucket or a carboy. the only thing that seems top be consistent with mead making is time. time tends to mellow out the raw alcohol flavor, things like that. from what i've read it shouldnt matter if its bottled or not. like some things, it just gets better over time. people TEND to let it mellow out before bottling i think only because they want to know what it tastes like without having to open a bottle just to take a sample.

all this is taken into consideration for things like racking, clarifying...etc. once its clear it should not matter if it's in a bottle.

but dont quote me on this. if you have it sitting in a bucket with wood chips...then it makes a difference.

Clarity is great right now. It is a blackberry mead, but the fruit is two rackings removed. In terms of clarity, I'm comfortable with bottling now. No wood chips, haha

i would say taste it and if you like it bottle it. if not, wait a little longer. that's what i would do.

Sounds good. Thanks

Be more patient.