There are whiskeys that play it safe, and then there's Method and Madness Japanese Cedarwood Cask Finish — a bottle that wears its ambition right there on the label. At 48% ABV and carrying a price tag of £89.95, this NAS release sits in interesting territory: experimental enough to catch your eye, but priced where it genuinely needs to deliver. I'm happy to report it mostly does.
What Makes This One Different
Japanese cedarwood — or sugi — isn't something you see in whiskey maturation every day. It's a wood with a completely different character to American or European oak. Where bourbon barrels push vanilla and caramel, and sherry casks bring dried fruit, cedarwood introduces something more aromatic and resinous. Think of it less as a flavour bomb and more as an atmosphere shift. The wood itself is lighter, less tannic, which means the finishing period adds texture and fragrance without bulldozing whatever spirit went in.
At 48% ABV, there's enough strength here to carry those subtler wood notes without drowning them in ethanol heat. That's a smart bottling decision. Too many experimental finishes get watered down to 40% and lose exactly the qualities that made the experiment worthwhile in the first place. Whoever made the call on proof got it right.
Tasting Notes
I don't have detailed tasting notes to share on this one just yet, but based on the cedarwood finish and the robust 48% ABV, expect something that leans into aromatic, lightly spiced territory with a drier profile than your typical bourbon-barrel-driven whiskey. The Japanese cedarwood should bring a distinctive herbal, almost incense-like quality that sets it apart from the crowd.
The Verdict
At £89.95, Method and Madness Japanese Cedarwood Cask Finish isn't an impulse buy, but it's not unreasonable for what you're getting — a genuinely unusual cask finish bottled at a strength that lets the wood speak. This is a whiskey for the drinker who's already got their core collection sorted and wants something that'll spark a conversation. It's well-made, it's distinctive, and it doesn't rely on gimmick alone. A 7.8 out of 10 feels right: this is a confident, interesting pour that rewards curiosity. It falls just short of the top tier only because the NAS designation leaves you guessing about the base spirit's maturity, and at this price, I'd like a little more transparency.
Best Served
Pour this one neat in a Glencairn and give it a good ten minutes to open up — the cedarwood aromatics really benefit from a bit of air. If you want to add water, go easy: just a few drops to see how the wood influence shifts. I wouldn't put this in a cocktail. At £89.95 and with such a specific flavour profile, it deserves to be appreciated on its own terms. That said, if you're feeling adventurous, a minimalist Highball with premium soda water and a thin grapefruit peel could work beautifully — the citrus would complement the cedarwood's natural aromatics without fighting them.
