Method & Madness Single Pot Irish (Chestnut Finish)

Hi everyone,

I know I’m a little late for St. Paddies day, but I should have put this up ages ago when I tried it and I’d totally forgotten.

So this is part of a series of Irish whiskies, each wackier and more ‘out there’ than the last. This one in particular caught my eye because it was a single pot (which is of course the King of Irish whiskey) and it had been finished in Chestnut. Not Oak, Chestnut wood.

Oak replacements are something that is being looked at by a few people, including Springbank and Hunter Laing filling Chestnut barrels recently, despite being against the Scotch whisky laws. Irish whiskey hasn’t got anything against Chestnut though, the laws only stipulate that it should be matured in a wooden barrel.

What flavours will Chestnut bring over Oak? No idea. This is the first I’ve tried!

 

Method & Madness Chestnut Finish 46%

Colour: Bronze

Body: Medium

Nose: Aromatic and lovely. Fresh tropical fruit is immediate, gummy bear, chewing gum, candy floss, Turkish delight, which means rose but it's also chocolately like Turkish delight chocolate. Underneath it's woody in a great way, spicy with curry paste and very subtly earthy. Like Willy Wonker snorted something and came up with the nose for a whiskey! Edges closer towards the taste as it goes on...

Taste: Spices start, black pepper, then virgin oak comes through, well not oak actually, I'm guessing the Chestnut has really taken this over because it's a strange and rubbery to taste. Little of the complexity of the nose. Any of the normal green or tropical fruit are hidden far away. A shame but I had a feeling this would happen.

Finish: Medium length. Like a Bourbon, caramel but some of that rubbery flavour is still there.

Single Pot still Irish whiskey matured in Bourbon and Sherry then finish in French Chestnut. A great nose, but the taste lets it down. Really interesting to try though!! My first non-oak whiskey.

70/100

Thanks for reading!

Irish Review #22

Whisky Network Review #699

Network Average: 74.7

Best Score: 93

Worst Score: 12

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50-59 Bad

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90+ Magnificent

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