Oldur Meadery

Mead -- honey wine, the drink of the Vikings, humanity's oldest fermented beverage -- has experienced a remarkable revival in recent years, and nowhere more appropriately than in Iceland. Oldur, founded in 2017, was the country's first meadery, and its Reykjavik taproom offers a genuinely fascinating window into a drink that most people have heard of but surprisingly few have actually tasted.

What Is Mead

Before we discuss Oldur's offerings, a brief clarification for the uninitiated. Mead is made by fermenting honey with water. It predates both beer and wine in human history, with evidence of mead production stretching back thousands of years. In Norse culture, mead held a position of enormous importance -- it features prominently in the Eddas and sagas, and was associated with poetry, wisdom, and divine inspiration.

What it is not: a thick, syrupy, cloyingly sweet drink. Good mead, and Oldur's mead is very good, can be dry, complex, and as nuanced as a fine wine.

The Tasting

The taproom offers tasting flights that allow you to explore the range. Oldur produces meads in various styles: dry, semi-sweet, and sweet, still and sparkling, some infused with Icelandic herbs or fruits. A guided tasting walks you through the different expressions, explaining how honey source, fermentation technique, and added ingredients affect the final product.

The craft beers are also worth trying. Brewed with the same attention to quality that defines the meads, they offer an interesting comparison and demonstrate the breadth of what this small producer can achieve.

The Space

The taproom has the relaxed, slightly industrial feel of a working production space. It is not a polished cocktail bar -- it is a place where drinks are made and shared, and that authenticity is part of the appeal. The harbour-district location puts it near other food and drink venues in the Grandi area, making it easy to combine a visit with other stops.

Why Visit

Even if you have never considered drinking mead, a visit to Oldur is worthwhile. The tasting experience is educational without being tedious, the staff are passionate and knowledgeable, and the meads themselves are a revelation -- far more varied and interesting than most people expect. In a city full of craft beer bars and cocktail lounges, Oldur offers something genuinely different.

Practical Notes

Open Tuesday through Saturday, with slightly extended hours on Fridays and Saturdays. Guided tastings can be booked through the website and typically last about an hour. Walk-in tastings are also available depending on capacity. The taproom is in the harbour district, a short walk from the city centre.