Well as that sounds like you've basically used the JAO recipe but without the spices, it would normally have been ready quite quickly if you'd followed the recipe completely.
But, you used an ale yeast instead of the bread yeast recommendation, which will have almost definitely fermented dry. So I'd suggest that you'd be better thinking about ageing for at least a year.
The complete JAO recipe is often ready in about the 6 months mark - but also it doesn't always taste good when a wine (or beer) yeast has been used. It was developed as an easy, straight forward recipe that produces a mead that finishes sweet with "marmalade" sort of back notes (hence the use of the whole orange - pith and all) and a hint of spices.......
Just about all the variants I've tried making (different fruit, different yeast, etc etc) have come out not so good and a friend has run it through his still to recover the alcohol to use for fortifying other meads etc.......
I'd recommend that unless you follow the JAO recipe religiously, then you try a different one, maybe something that uses a type of honey that you can get easily......
regards
fatbloke