Method and Madness expands with Irish gin
Irish Distillers has expanded its experimental Method and Madness whiskey range with the launch of Method and Madness Irish Micro Distilled Gin.
Method and Madness Irish Micro Distilled Gin was inspired by historic gin recipes dating back to 1798, which have been preserved at the Midleton Distillery. The gin is a “reimagining” of Irish Distillers’ pot still Cork Crimson Gin in 2005, which was based on recipes, botanicals and methods found in a notebook from the 1790s, written by a rectifier in Cork, called William Coldwell. Led by master distiller Brian Nation and apprentice distiller Henry Donnelly, the Method and Madness gin was created in ‘Mickey's Belly’, Ireland’s oldest gin still, which was first commissioned in 1958 at the microdistillery in Midleton. The still has been named after Michael Hurley, who was a distiller at Midleton Distillery for 45 years and worked in the Vat House. The gin is made with a mix of 16 botanicals, with black lemon and Irish gorse flower at the fore. It is said to have notes of citrus and spice, with earthy undertones. Bottled at 43% abv, Method and Madness Micro Distilled Gin will launch in global travel retail and Ireland in March, priced at RRP €50 (US$57) per 700ml. It will be rolled out globally from July. Brendan Buckley, innovation and specialty brands director at Irish Distillers, said: “At the very core of Method and Madness is a commitment to push the boundaries of what we can achieve in Midleton Distillery, and I believe that taking a confident leap into the modern premium gin category is the very definition of this mindset. “Many new producers in Ireland are releasing gins while their whiskeys mature, but we are in no terms late to the party – in true Method and Madness style, we are entering the gin market using our passion and unrivalled distilling expertise as our guide.” Jameson maker Irish Distillers launched the super-premium Method and Madness range in February 2017, with an aim to “push the boundaries” of Irish whiskey. The range was joined by two new expressions in May last year: a single pot still finished in Hungarian oak and a 28-year-old ruby Port pipe single cask.
