Midleton Method and Madness single pot still Irish whiskey review
Are you a fan of Irish whiskey? Read our review of this single pot still spirit from Midleton, an experimental distillery from the same birthplace as famous Jameson whiskey.
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Midleton Method and Madness single pot still Irish whiskey, 46% ABV
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Method and Madness is a small, experimental offering from within the Midleton distillery. While the main distillery at Midleton is the source of everything from the very highly esteemed (and accordingly priced) Midleton Very Rare range to the world's best-selling Irish whiskey, Jameson, Method and Madness is produced in their in-house micro-distillery.
Freed from the pressure of larger volumes or established brand history, the staff can experiment with the spirit, the aging and the finish in ways that might be denied them otherwise.
Certainly, the first thing that strikes you with the single pot still is how handsome the bottle is, with a striking, contemporary label design.
Aged in bourbon barrels, some sherry barrel-aged whiskey is mixed in before being finished, unusually, in French chestnut casks.
The whiskey is a full, golden amber, apparently a product of the chestnut. The nose is rich and sweet, with spices led by ginger and cinnamon, a herbal minty note and some underlying vanilla and sherry.
On the palate, it has a medium body, with a delightful mouth-coating feel. It continues sweet, the caramel edging into toffee, with the malt toasty. Again there are lots of spices with oak and nut, ripe fruit and a hint of chocolate.
While the other two in the series, the single grain and the single malt, are both excellent, it's the unconventional notes that set this apart. The suggestion of chestnut among the rich, but not overpowering, array of flavours is a delight.
The perfect pour
For a perfect serve, the single pot still needs nothing more than a tasting glass or solid tumbler and the time to appreciate it.
Should you want to make a cocktail with it, a good whiskey sour with a spot of egg white to enrichen it is a winner. A rather more involved, but no less intriguing, suggestion comes from their own website – the Sea No Evil cocktail with seaweed and gooseberry juice.
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This review was last updated in August 2019. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.
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