First mead was awful... then delicious

After doing about 6 batches of home-brew beer, I decided to get into mead making. I looked at a few recipes on these forums and then did a one-gallon test batch. Somehow I really messed up the recipe and ended up with too much sugar:

- 4.5 lbs Costco honey
- a few orange slices
- water to 1 gal.
- Red Star champagne yeast

I didn't take gravity readings. I let it ferment in the primary for 3 weeks, racked to secondary and let sit for 8 more weeks, then bottled.

I tried some 6 months later. It tasted like rocket fuel.

I tried some 1 year later. It still tasted like rocket fuel, but I could tell that there was something good in there too.

I tried some 2 years later, and it is GREAT. The bad flavors have gone away. I'm left with a sweet mead, almost like a dessert wine, with great body.

I'd love to re-create this mead in a way that doesn't take 2.5 years to make it drinkable. I am thinking of making a mead using less honey initially (maybe 2.5 lbs per gal.), stabilizing it, and then back sweetening. Any thoughts from veteran mead makers would be appreciated.

Below is a picture of the mead in the primary (on the right).

Maybe change yeast to Lavin 71B-1188 or D47. Staggered nutrient additions (did original recipe have nutrient? ). Degass often in the beginning. GoFerm rehydration nutrient.

I think the first problem you encountered is that you actually tried to make rocket fuel. You got what you made. You made something way too hot. I bet you over hop your beer and make it so it's 10% ABV and then complain its way too big. No offense meant but that is what you did with your mead. You way overdid it. 4.5 lbs. of honey per gallon was way too much along with a champagne yeast made something probably on the order of 18% alcohol. I agree totally with your suggestion to use less honey. Tone it down. The real masters are those who understand nuance. Don't use a champagne yeast. Target something which will not be more than 12% alcohol. A yeast like Cote des Blancs will not go over 13%. And if you want a great mead with a fast result read Bray Denard's posting for his BOMMs. That would be the way for you to go. The key is to get a fast primary fermentation by doing the staggered nutrient additions jalopy talked about. That will give you a much shorter overall fermentation period. Bray has the nutrients all spelled out for you for one gallon test batches. I highly recommend you follow his lead. You will get great mead results in just a few months and it will be drinkable and actually exceptional. Good luck. You are starting on the right track.