My mead now is not just "hot" in flavor. It is down right undrinkable. I literally gagged when I tried to taste a sample I think this batch is going down the drain. Hey it's my first brewing failure. I just wish I knew what I did wrong
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There's a few that I've done that have been "failures" Tim, but I never, never throw any away.
It's better to go to the hassle of getting another carboy/demi-john/fermenter etc. Then I just make sure that it's topped up as far as it will go, do the racking/clearing thing and once it's "there" it just goes under the stairs and gets forgotten about. Currently the max is 3 years.
The reason why, is because as some of the others have pointed out, the high alcohol/alcohol hot taste can take a number of years to mellow (think on how long the best whiskies and brandies can spend mellowing...).
There might also be enough tannins to make it unpalletable, and they can also take many years to mellow.
Worse case scenario, well I'd leave it as long as you can (read somewhere that if it's not improved enough in 7 to 8 years then it won't get any better than that), then once at that point, if it's still a bit nasty, just back sweeten it with a nice, flavoursome honey that you like. That will then provide the overriding taste to the brew.
But definitely don't throw it away, you've gone to all this hassle to make it, so why not just add a little more effort, like bulk ageing and then possibly back sweetening.......
Just my 2 cents worth
regards
fatbloke