Mead is gonna be tricky. So tricky.
Fermentations cannot occur if there's osmotic pressure enough to force microbs to sleep.
Think about old sailors keeping herrings in salt for long travels. They were safe from microbs because there's no water avaivable to thrive.
Sugar has the same osmotic power as salt because their crystaline form, but sugar doesn't kill mic's as salt does. Think about that jam jar that's been for ages in the fridge rear part.
In the other hand, when you add water enough to the mix for mic's awake, not only have they an ideal playground, but also tons and tons of tasty carbohydrates to eat. Their favourite meal.
My point is about to find the balance between a forced dormancy induced by the osmotic pressure and the addition of water (dechlorinated, please) to boost the LAB's and yeasts microparties.
Edit: maybe my sticky brick is absorbing me as an osmotic pressure cerebral device, but the muses are throwing stones at me, pionting & yelling. Let me add a videoexplanation for better example: