Archive: Around Town

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced last week that Royal Meadery in Albany County has been issued the first farm meadery license in New York State. Royal Meadery is a craft beverage manufacturer that produces mead from New York State-sourced honey. In December 2018, Cuomo signed legislation establishing a new license for farm meaderies, similar to those already available to farm wineries, breweries, distilleries and cideries, to further support the state's thriving craft beverage industry and stimulate demand for honey produced in the New York State.

"Thanks to our tireless efforts to cut red tape, craft beverage manufacturers are thriving like never before in communities across the State," Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said. "We're proud to welcome Royal Meadery as New York's first farm meadery and applaud their success and use of locally-sourced honey. With this latest achievement the craft beverage industry continues to grow, creating job opportunities and boosting tourism in every region."

Royal Meadery is owned and operated by Gregory Wilhelm, who turned his passion for beekeeping and brewing into a thriving craft beverage manufacturing business in Albany. Gregory and his wife Kristen have a production facility and tasting room in Delmar, outside of Albany, and are dedicated to producing modern meads with locally produced honey to create a resurgence for the world's oldest fermented beverage.

Royal Meadery Owner Gregory Wilhelm said, "We appreciate the recognition of receiving the first farm meadery license. New York has long been recognized for its exceptional honey production. It is only natural that New York leads the way in legislation around mead production."

Mead, commonly referred to as "honey wine," is an alcoholic beverage that is created by fermenting honey with water, which can be infused with fruits, spices, herbs and flowers. The new legislation, first proposed by Cuomo in his Fiscal Year 2019 Executive Budget, authorizes the production of New York State labeled mead made exclusively with honey produced in the state.

The farm meadery license includes a host of privileges, including the ability to sell their products by the glass and by the bottle from their manufacturing facilities or tasting rooms, in addition to any other wine, beer, cider or spirits produced by a New York State farm manufacturer. Farm meaderies may also operate up to five no-fee offsite branch offices with tasting rooms anywhere in the state. These expanded privileges are credited with spurring New York's current craft beverage boom, with 236 farm breweries opening following enactment of the Governor's 2013 Farm Brewery law and 43 farm cideries since creation that license in 2014. The Capital Region alone has grown nearly 250% by adding 85 craft manufacturers since 2012. As with New York manufactured hard cider, New York mead will be sold in both grocery stores as well as liquor and wine stores. The annual cost for the new farm meadery license is $75.

State Liquor Authority Chairman Vincent Bradley said, "The new farm meadery license is another example of how this administration continues to make it easier for entrepreneurs to launch new manufacturing businesses to meet the high demand for New York produced products."

New York now ranks in the top five in the U.S. for its number of craft beverage producers in every category. The state ranks first in U.S. for the number of hard cider producers, second in craft distillers, third in breweries, and fourth in the country for the total number of wineries. New York remains the top honey producer in the Northeast, with the total value of honey produced at $9.6 million in 2017, an increase of nearly 80 percent from 2011.

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