“You’re not going to discover anything without taking a chance”
Eva O’Doherty- Apprentice Distiller
As an Apprentice Distiller in the Micro-Distillery, Eva is not
only learning from Distiller Katherine Condon, but from the
generations of distillers that have gone before her.
“We work in a building built in the 1800s, and a lot of what we do still comes from that era’.
While paying heed to tradition, Eva also believes that the work they’re doing will leave the distillery in a better place for the future: “We’re taking the lead here, not following it”.
“There’s massive room to play here”
Katherine Condon – Distiller
Katherine learned her trade in the Micro-Distillery as
an apprentice to Master Distillers Kevin O’Gorman &
Brian Nation.
Now she spends most of her time guiding the next
generation of distillers in the Micro-Distillery, she
believes there is “massive room to learn and play here”. “By
experimenting, we’re doing the same things as the
people who came before us did, just changing the parameters ever
By working in a more manual environment, the team become attuned to the sounds of the distillery, learning the nuts and bolts of the craft, which provides a solid platform for experimentation and innovation down the line.
“You need to be methodical because you want things to work out, but you’re not going to
discover anything without taking a chance”. Eva O’Doherty Apprentice Distiller.
She may be in the early stages of her whiskey career, but she already has a sense of the bigger picture: she
sees Method and Madness as having an important role in “maintaining the high standard of Irish whiskey”
for the future. In her role, Eva works closely with the highly experienced Distiller Katherine, who encourages her to think outside the pot still, so to speak.
Our Team Of Masters And Apprentices
BLENDING
“FOR METHOD AND MADNESS THE DOOR IS WIDE OPEN TO GO OUTSIDE THE BOUNDS OF TRADITION.”
—Billy Leighton, Master Blender
Master Blender Billy Leighton is a man whose role requires absolute adherence to consistency. But with Method and Madness he sees an opportunity to “go outside the wider bounds of tradition”. “Method and Madness is not stuck to any particular style. The door is wide open”.
“YOU ALWAYS NEED TO ASK ‘WHAT ELSE?”
—Dave McCabe, Apprentice Distiller
Apprentice Blender Dave McCabe believes that the next generation of whiskey makers have a dual purpose. “You have a lot of gratitude for those before you, but you also have responsibility for those after you”.
MATURATION
WHEN YOU PLAY, YOU DO THINGS THAT YOU WOULDN’T NORMALLY DO
—Kevin O’Gorman, Master of Maturation
Even before his days as Master of Maturation, Kevin was always encouraged to innovate: “Something that was passed on to me was ‘try new things’ ”, and now he believes “we need to pass the baton on to the next generation and continue the race”.
“THIS IS A TESTAMENT TO THE MASTERS”
—Finbarr Curran, Bond Apprentice
Bond Apprentice Finbarr Curran was on the frontline of innovation for Method and Madness, ident-ifying and locating new wood types for the spirit to be finished in: “We’re not bound to oak. My job is to track down new woods, from anywhere in the world. We’ve got great relationships that give us unique and rare barrels, and we’re always searching for more”. Finbarr believes that this innov-ation is essential to the long term survival of the distillery, “as soon as you’re stagnant, you’re dead in the water… not every barrel will work, but you have to try”.
“WE LEARN FROM THE WOOD, AND EACH OTHER. IT’S AN ONGOING PROCESS OF DISCOVERY”
—Eoin McLaughlin, Bond Apprentice
As Eoin says “trying something new should start with knowing the past”, and for him this starts with learning directly from Master of Maturation Kevin O’Gorman. “With Kevin’s knowledge, it’s always an educated guess… he has a lot of literature, he is a fountain of knowledge”.
WHISKEY SCIENCE
“METHOD AND MADNESS HAS GIVEN OUR EXPERIMENTAL WHISKEYS A HOME”
—Dave Quinn, Master of Whiskey Science
“I think it will surprise a lot of people… doing things we’ve never done before”, Master of Whiskey Science Dave Quinn is excited about the new possibilities being realised with Method and Madness. “Method and Madness has given our experimental whiskeys a home… we’re getting truly unique whiskeys to the whiskey enthusiast”.
“THERE IS A CONSTANT CHALLENGE, BUT THAT’S WHAT KEEPS THE HEART PUMPING”
—Dagmara Dabrowska, Apprentice of Whiskey Science
“The more you know, the more you appreciate. Your horizon gets wider and wider”. Dagmara comes from a scientific background, but her close working relationship with Master of Whiskey Science Dave Quinn has taught her something a bit more intangible, a passion for the spirit. “I had the drive for science before, but I got the passion for whiskey from Dave. He introduced me to a new world because of his passion and enthusiasm”.
NEW FROM IRISH WHISKEY HISTORY
The Midleton Distillery has been in operation since the 18th century, and is today home to some of the world’s most prestigious Irish whiskeys. With a whiskey CV like this, it would be easy to sit back on our laurels, but that’s not how things are done around here.