Ergo mead with sediment floating shouldn't be bottled.
In fact, after 2 or 3, possibly 4 rackings, even the smallest amount of sediment should be racked away and then possibly racked into a bottling bucket and even then maybe bottling with the pipe attached to a gravity filter etc etc......
Sounds over the top ? Mate, I've had a few batches even vacuum racked with a 1 micron filter and be virtually gin clear, still seem to drop a dark brown pigment/tannin type sediment, and have to then rebottle through a 0.5 micron filter.......
If it aint clear, it aint ready. You'd moan like hell if you bought something that turned out to have sediment in it, so if you gave some away and your recipient moaned about the same, no surprise......