Maths, hepatitis, civil aviation… what do they have in common? Obviously they should all be avoided wherever possible but there is one more thing – all have their own day.

In fact, through detailed research conducted over the course of two entire minutes I've found the list of things that have their own day is longer than the queue at a Greek job centre.

So it was a travesty, nay an outrage, that whisky did not have its own day… until now. Yes, at last whisky has joined the exalted ranks of things that have their own day – left handed people, pirates, children, left handed pirate children… the list goes on. More...

Finally we’ve arrived at the halfway milestone; that point in Movember when our upper lips no longer look lazy and unkempt, but instead play host to genuine moustache excellence. The chaps at Master of Malt are now fully fledged mo-wearers, and could proudly play the lead role in the upcoming biopic of Tom Selleck that I’m secretly writing when Ben’s not looking. That is, aside from one of the new “placement stiaowdents” and our MD, Justin, both of whom now must cope with ridicule and social ostracism for their inability to develop anything more than a shadow under their noses. They live with their shame.

Onto the really important stuff, so far, just halfway through Movember 2011, we’ve raised £5,135! Cripes! We’ve done this by selling our marvellous Movember whisky – a stunning 9 year old Glenfarclas drawn from two casks. We’re selling the bottle for £39.95 and you can read full tasting notes here. More...

That's right folks; Professor Cornelius Ampleforth has done it again! After the superb reception Bathtub Gin and the fabulous Proprietary Barley Spirit Drink received, he’s moved onto the spiced rum market for his latest stunner!

The Professor’s newest concoction is loosely based on the kind of rich, warming blends enjoyed by the seafaring fraternity of yesteryear (roughly “some” hundred years ago). It couldn't have been better-timed either, as the mercury is quickly dropping and nothing warms the cockles (and indeed other appendages) like a hearty spiced rum! We are thrilled to present to you...More...

As many of you will remember, a Master of Malt contingent attended last year’s Maltstock event, and had an absolute whale of a time – read all about it here...

The Maltstock Sharing Table

Maltstock is coming again, and in under 2 weeks’ time, I’ll be making my way over there with the irrepressible Neil Ridley (from off of that there www.caskstrength.net), a car full of Master of Malt goodies, my responsible drinking boots, and my iPhone charger. Must take the iPhone charger (I figure if I keep writing it, there’s at least a 50% chance I’ll actually remember this time). More...

New product announcements! Hurrah!

Yes, today we are announcing a terrific addition to the Handmade Cocktail Company’s sterling range of ready-made bottled cocktails. Many of you cocktail enthusiasts have already been asking us for one particular cocktail - a classic that was left out of the original range. It’s the ultimate zesty, spicy bourbon cocktail, and the favourite tipple of none other than Don Draper, Harry S Truman and Cole Porter. That’s right… The Old Fashioned. More...

Okay then – new competition / announcement / sort of thing…



If I told you that these images represented the ingredients of a brand new concoction we’re currently putting together, would you think: More...

Today we’re thrilled to announce the launch of Caskstrength.net’s first official whisky! Bottled to mark its 3rd Birthday, this is the first time any blog has released its own single malt, and we’re very proud to be the exclusive stockist!

Caskstrength.net was founded in 2008 by Neil and Joel, both formerly rival A&R men, working at Warner Bros and Island Records respectively. They formed the blog to share their love of whisky with friends and family, but since More...

For the first time ever, one of France’s big Cognac houses has started putting age statements on its products. Courvoisier have begun labelling Cognacs just like we do in the whisky industry, where the number reflects the age of the youngest spirit in the bottle.

The new age statement releases give a real insight into Cognac, and it’s particularly interesting that Courvoisier should take this route, as the previous designations were very vague indeed. In fact, if you were to ask the average spirits drinker what the difference between a More...

Well, as far as the world of whisky goes, it doesn’t come much bigger than a new release from Ardbeg. We don’t mind telling you that we’ve been absolutely fit to burst on this one for the last few days…

Whilst we were on Islay, we were offered a sneak preview of the New Ardbeg Committee bottling by distillery manager Mickey Heads on the strict understanding that we didn’t go shooting our mouths off until the bottling was out. Well, the day has finally arrived – we can talk about it. More...

Friday was Bunnahabhain’s distillery day...

As far as Islay distilleries go, Bunnahabhain is perhaps the least talked about among the Scotch cognoscenti, and whilst this is entirely unfair (due to the quality of the spirit), it is unsurprising in many ways. For a start the whisky isn’t particularly peaty, nor is not subject to any wild experimentation during production or maturation, and overall, well, it’s decidedly gentle. More...