Back sweetening confusion

So, I have a basic question guys. If I use a yeast like Lalvin D-47 with a 14% alcohol tolerance
And I do everything right. With a S.G. of 1.105, I should get a finished mead around 13-14% and residual sugar of 25%, and theoretically the yeast has maxed out. So what will happen if I start out
with S.G. of 1.115. Will the yeast stop at around 14% ABV and will I have a sweeter mead without
the probability of exploding bottles? Thanks, I have read that most people seem to like to stabilize and then back sweeten.

Have you been making meads already? Are you trying to make a mead you’ve had elsewhere? I’m really not trying to yuck your yum but this sounds undrinkable to me.

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I am a major noob, but I have made mead, one time in the past. I just found mead that I made and bottled back in 2008 . Five separate gallon jugs. Walmart clover honey & local store orange blossum.
I used three different yeasts. Lalvin D47, EC 1118 and WLP-001 ale. It was a long time ago and I’m old, so I don’t remember much, but I remember that the yeast took a long time to work. Like a month. I then bottled the stuff in 750 ml bottles with corks. The only way that I know is that I wrote those facts on the bottles. When sediment showed up in bottom of bottles, I siphoned the clear stuff and re-bottled. I always tasted it and it was extremely dry. I didn’t like it so I added honey. Anyway, I forgot about it. I don’t know why it never exploded (after reading some of these forums). So anyway, I just found it and its friggin’ awesome!!! 13 years old. The D47 stuff has a gravity of 1.030, the EC-118 has 1.020, don’t forget, I added honey and the WLP-001 ale yeast is at 1.010 (strange, not as sweet as the others) but they all taste really,really good. I do like it sweet. What’s wrong with my theory, up above? I’m not trying to be a wise guy. I want to make some more with
several ale yeast and the D47 when it get a little cooler. Thanks

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The WLP-001 stuff definitely has a underlying ale flavor to it, but a nice sweetness. The EC-118
stuff is very sweet, like desert and it has like a vanilla taste to it. The D47 is sweet also but has more
of a wine flavor to it almost like grapes, but very much like honey mead.

Ok cool. Your plan of 25% residual sugars and 13-14%abv will yield a very sweet strong mead. It will be like a fortified dessert wine. You cannot tell yeast what to do but if it your yeast behaves in its parameters you should get what you want. Maybe you want to cork instead of cap. I use Champaign corks and wire baskets when I have doubts about long term storage. I also use belgian bottles which supposedly hold higher levels of carbonation. I have bought them but I mostly get them by saving them from the recycling during the holidays. You can find empty champaign bottles all over my neighborhood during the holidays.

Thanks squeeg…I have 4 yeast’s on order and I plan on doing more 1 gallon batch’s with different
yeast strains. Three ale yeast and D47. I might tone down the sweetness. I’m not very concerned
about ABV so much. I’m more interested in the flavors. I have a lot more researching on the blogs
that I want to do. It’s an adventure. Take care!