I purchased some locally-produced honey from a small produce/garden
-type store a few days ago.

Although it isn't overwhelmingly strong, the honey has a distinctive
menthol aftertaste.

My first thought was that the beekeeper who sold the honey to the
store "cheated" in his application of menthol crystals: he applied the
menthol crystals while he still had honey supers on.  (In these parts,
goldenrod blooms mid to late August through early to mid September; by
the time those supers come off, the temperatures usually aren't warm
enough to properly apply menthol crystals.)  He knew that packers
wouldn't take the contaminated honey, so he decided to sell it
directly to retail stores, and hope that no one would be able to
figure out the honey was contaminated.

My question: should I give the beekeeper the benefit of the doubt?  Is
it possible to get a slight menthol aftertaste in honey supers that
are put on right after menthol comes off?  (E.g., perhaps he applied
menthol in mid-July between nectar flows?)  Or, is there a nectar
source his bees could've found that contains menthol oil?

(I've considered the possibility that I'm misidentifying a mint
aftertaste as menthol, but I don't think so.  I eat mints (peppermint,
spearmint, etc.) on a regular basis, and that wasn't what came to mind
when I tasted the honey.  What immediately came to mind when I tasted
the honey was the day the package of menthol crystals I'd ordered
arrived, and I opened the package and was hit by that cold, bright,
overpowering aroma...)

--
James Ralston
Pittsburgh, PA, USA