Oxygen/Wet Cardboard

So yesterday a few HBT guys were up brewing and we went to my mead cellar to sample my in-progress meads.

One of them was just downright horrible. Claphamsa (who is going through the BJCP class) said it was wet cardboard, probably oxygenated.

I just taste it as disgusting.

If it does have that wet cardboard taste, is there anything that can be done to save it? It's also starting to form a white (possible mold) floaty. I was gonna rack under it and possibly bottle some of it just to see if it improves in 6-12 months.

I just don't have 30 extra bottles, corks, and a ton of time to bottle a whole batch if it's likely to be horrible then too.

Could it get better with age?

I don't think there's anything you can do at this point other than dump it. I wouldn't even cook with it for fear of imparting that nasty taste to the food. I lost 3 gallons of sack mead to oxydation once, so I know how nasty it tastes & how much it sucks to have to dump it. If you find a cure for it, let me know, I'd be all over that. Regards, GF.
EDIT: Just be certain it's oxydized before you dump it. GF.

its oxidized, REAL bad too. we discussed this last night at BJCP class. dump it, clean well, then make more.

What's the cause of the oxidation, transfer or bad handling or something?

Don't know. I didn't do anything strange. Racked as normal. Made a ton of beer and some other (good) meads, so it's not like my transfer technique is bad...

It's just...a bad mead. We assume oxidation based on Claphamsa's "Wet cardboard" taste. He's taking bjcp classes, so I trust his judgment on flavor. For me, I don't taste cardboard, but I do taste badness and it isn't just hot alochol burn or anything, but it is HORRIBLE mead at best. It's also growing a little white possible infection anyways, so it probably is best to just consider it bad and start over.

jezter6 - I'm sorry for your lost, I have yet to taste oxidation in a beer or mead, but I have have succeed in making some horrid beer, (hey it was my first batch, 15 years ago and I learned better).
Any chance you could just write off the bottles and let it sit for a few years, you may have a fantastic lambic mead?
Just not ready to drink yet.

it it were just sour, I'd bottle it and let it sit.

this just tastes like moldy arsehole.

mixed with carboard

Moldy cardboard *******? Fascinating.