Well as per Ken Schramm, "beyond grade, the most apparent characteristic of honey is color. I warn you now however, that you should not judge honey primarily on the basis of color. First, the color of honey tells you nothing about the actual quality of the product as measured by things like moisture content or flavor. Secon, you'll find important exceptions to the intuitive association of milder flavors with lighter honeys. Some distinctive and strongly flavored honeys such as basswood are very light, while very mild and pleasant honeys such as tulip poplar can be quite dark."
That quote being said, if your dark honey tastes good with the the other flavors (concerning winter and christmas) then you are good to go!! Same concerning a summer brew, Taste the honey and imagine some light delicious fruit that will pair then brew it! I like your ingredients for the winter brew, (Now please bear in mind I am also an amatuer with little experience above you, I've just got a book and good intuition lol), I have a similar Christmas mead that is fermenting right now. It's ingredients are
1 gallon mead
4.5-5 lbs honey (this was an early mishap, should have used less, was able to save. Long story is in one of my threads here if you want to read)
Tea of one cinnamon stick and 1 tsp coarse ground allspice
One vanilla bean 6-7" split only
25 raisins (work in place of nutrient[oldschool])
It is quite tasty and ready to rack now after 36 days
I'll be making a 3 gallon batch soon for xmas time.
That being said, and not to alter your OG recipe much I would say that cinnamon may be a great addition. I prefer to use vanilla bean of extract, and would use one 6-7" split bean per gallon for a medium-light profile. Bear in mind there none of my recipes have aged much over one month. Vanilla extract would be great because you can always add some if you want more! Where as if the vanilla beans produce more flavor than you want you're kinda stuck. But I LOVED vanilla so I've never been affraid of that lol. All being said, you sound as though you have a grasp on fermentation in the first place so, mix up your Must and adjust all flavors before you pitch your yeast, and continue to do so every time you decide to rack. If you don't rack, just thief or siphon a small amount and make sure it's where you like it.
On that note as you're tasting you may feel like there's no "bite" or that it has a "thin" or "watery" mouthfeel. If this happens use a bit of citrus fruit or pure squeezed juice addition for acid tastes. Different fruits with different acids, so if you have a favorite use it, or use a fruit who's tastes are closely related to the season. Also if you don't to use fruit you can use tannic acids, found in wood, by tossing in a few oak chips or desired wood. Now oaking will happen pretty fast and i havent not attempted it YET. The most common recommendation is oaking over about a week. Tastes daily though to ensure your desired level of flavor. Also research your wood if you decide not to use oak. Overly sappy or oily woods will destroy the mead. Dry hardwoods do best. Think walnut, oak, cherry, hard maple, ash, alder. It's kinda easy for me to know already being a woodworker, so there's my suggestions from the list of woods I plan to learn flavor impartment from.
I wish you best of brew and will also add here at the end that you have enough of time to go buy "The Compleat Mead Maker" by Ken Schramm and read it! Mine was a gift @$30 but some have found it for cheaper, especially on kindle! Have fun, be Patient!
AGAIN I AM AN AMATEUR MEAD MAKER AS OF THE MOMENT. THESE ARE CAREFUL SUGGESTIONS BASED ON WHAT I'VE LEARNED THE LAST FEW MONTHS. Although I do NOT consider myself a fool, I believe I need to add that for honesty.
