World Whisky Review #47: Method and Madness Single Pot Still Irish Whisky French Chestnut Finish

Bottler: Irish Distillers.

Distillery: Midleton.

Region: Ireland.

Age: NAS.

ABV: 46.0%.

Cask Type: Matured in Sherry & Bourbon Casks, Finished in French Chestnut Casks

Price: Sample courtesy of /u/TomBourbonbadil.

Color: 1.2, Chestnut/Oloroso Sherry.

This particular review was done blind.

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Nose: (according to the wife) It’s fruity with pears and overripe apples. It is also a touch spicy with fresh cracked black pepper. Sherry and a bit of wood varnish pop in towards the back.

Palate: It is bit closed off to start. As it starts to open up, those orchard fruits start coming through strongly. With a splash of water, a touch of sherry comes through with lots and lots of mixed orchard fruits behind it. Poached pears and baked apples are the major notes.

Finish: Like it was on the palate, the finish is a slow starter as well. At first, there was nothing. A few seconds later, things start to kick in and when they do, the notes linger for a long time. A touch of varnish comes through along with poached pears with vanilla ice cream and dusting of baking spices. With water, the vanilla notes really intensify and the baking spices comes up a notch as well. The vanilla notes linger so long that I’m not sure it had actually gone away in between sips.

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Guess: A mid-teenaged Speysider. Probably around 50% ABV aged in a mix of sherry and bourbon casks. Linkwood my friend, is that you? Or perhaps Blair Athol?

Reveal: Method and Madness Single Pot Still Irish Whisky French Chestnut Finish

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Conclusion: No one expects the Spanish Irish Inquisition. No one. And especially not an Irish whisky finished in French chestnut casks. This experiment from the folks over at Midleton Distillery has worked out quite nicely though. It starts with a ton of orchard fruit notes that I personally adore. As it goes, they evolve a bit into cooked versions of those apples and pears. The finish, while slow to start, it absolutely fantastic when it gets going. The vanilla ice cream note is rich, decadent, and lasts for seemingly forever. Great whisky and one I’d be happy to add to the collection.

Final Score: 86.

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World Whisky Review #47, Irish Whiskey Review #14, Whisky Network Review #459

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.