Authors and contributors
We have an amazing team of in-house writers, authors, contributors, experts and all round good eggs to explore and explain all exciting things whisky, spirits and drinks. Reviews, features, interviews, tasting notes, guides and recommendations – they really do have their fingers on the pulse.
Want to know 'who's who' when it comes to everything you read from MoM towers? Time to meet the team...
Author: Adam O'Connell
Drinks writer & Content Manager
Adam has been writing for Master of Malt for seven years now. He’s visited distilleries, wineries, and breweries across the world, reviewed a variety of whiskies, gins, rums, Tequilas, mezcals, brandies, vodkas, wines, beers, and cocktails, and contributed all kinds of words in all sorts of places, including over 650 articles to Master of Malt's award-winning online blog, and many of the handy drinks guides too. He’s even jammed with Kiefer Sutherland AND dined with Ainsley Harriott. Not at the same time.
Recent articles by Adam O'Connell
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Author: Jake Mountain
Resident 'doer of things'
With well over a decade's experience in the spirits industry, Jake is our resident 'doer of things', having worked across all areas of Master of Malt's retail, trade, editorial and marketing teams, and much more besides, managing various award-winning campaigns and initiatives. As well as Scotch whisky, he's an expert who loves a single pot still Irish whiskey, Japanese drinks, and boozy stirred-down cocktails, as well as a funky agricole rhum or cachaça. Jake's passed the new, advanced WSET Level 3 in Spirits with a Distinction, and his comments have appeared in publications such as The Guardian and Jeff Cioletti's Drinking Adventurously. You can also speak to him about second division German football and an eclectic array of music from Britpop to rare funk breaks.
Recent articles by Jake Mountain
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Author: Emma Symons
Content writer
Joining Master of Malt in 2014, Emma worked as part of our awesome customer service team before bringing her passion for drinks to our editorial team. She even qualified as a WSET Spirits Educator to share her love for all things distilled with colleagues throughout the company. A fan of pot still rum, imperial stout, and complex maritime malts, Emma also enjoys taking photos, listening to hip-hop, and rummaging in junk shops to add to her collection of funky, colourful clothing!
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Author: Sam Simmons
Whiskevangelist & Blender of the Year
Sam, also known as Dr. Whisky (from his blogging days), became Head of Whisky at Atom Brands in 2018 after a long and distinguished period as The Balvenie single malt’s global ambassador. Sam is a Keeper of the Quaich (an honour that recognises outstanding commitment to Scotch whisky) and has also worked for the likes of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and Douglas Laing over more than twenty years of love for all things whisky. As an educator and writer he’s had bylines in the likes of Whisky Magazine, Wine Enthusiast and The Wall Street Journal, and he’s also band leader of the musical whisky supergroup Barley, Stills, Mash & Tun. In 2023, Sam was named Blender of the Year at The Spirits Business Awards.
Recent articles by Sam Simmons
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Author: Henry Jeffreys
Former MoM features editor & award-winning drinks author
Henry worked in the wine trade and publishing before becoming a writer. He’s now features editor for the Master of Malt blog as well as contributing to various publications and has appeared on BBC radio and TV. As an author he won Fortnum & Mason's Drink Book of the Year 2024 for Vines in a Cold Climate: The People Behind the English Wine Revolution, having been named their Drink Writer of the Year in 2022 as well. He's also written the books Empire of Booze (Best Debut Drink Book), The Home Bar, and The Cocktail Dictionary.
Recent articles by/about Henry Jeffreys
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Author: Jess Williamson
Content whizz
Jess wrote for Master of Malt from 2019 having studied at the University of Bristol, contributing features from food and whisky pairings to distillery visits, as well as formulating Master of Malt's data-driven industry trends reports. You'll also have seen her in front of the camera all over Master of Malt's Instagram, shaking up cocktails and tasting new whiskies (somebody's got to do it!). This saw her shortlisted for the IWSC trophy for Emerging Talent in Spirits Communication 2023!
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Author: Dave Worthington
TBWC global brand ambassador
'Boutique-y Dave' has been the beloved global brand ambassador for That Boutique-y Whisky Company since 2017, and was named World Whisky Brand Ambassador of the Year at the Icons of Whisky 2018! A huge honour he richly deserves for his energy, infectious enthusiasm and affable approach. A former mechanical engineer and shipbuilder, Dave explored his passion for whisky through his popular Whisky Discovery blog launched in 2010, which he ran with his daughter Kat, before they both managed to turn whisky into their day jobs. Just add coffee, Marmite soldiers, and olives, and watch Dave get to work!
Recent articles by Dave Worthington
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Author: Kristiane Sherry
Contributor & former MoM editor
Kristiane is a freelance drinks writer, educator and presenter, with bylines in Whisky Magazine, The Malt Whisky Yearbook, Club Oenologique and more. Her career has seen her head up the content team here at Master of Malt, edit The Spirits Business magazine, and serve as head of brand at luxury wine platform FINE+RARE. Kristiane has chaired and judged at numerous tasting competitions, including the IWSC, the American Distilling Institute’s Judging of Craft Spirits, and the Global Spirits Masters. She’s also an accredited WSET Spirits Educator, and has hosted live tastings for our Pour & Sip whisky subscription service. When she’s not immersed in the world of spirits, she can be found trail running.
Recent articles by Kristiane Sherry
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Author: Richard Legg
Contributor & former MoM drinks training and compliance guy
Trained WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) spirits educator and IWSC (International Wine and Spirits Competition) judge Richard Legg spent almost a decade at Master of Malt conducting in-house drinks training and specialising in drinks compliance. As well as whisky, Richard has a passion for Asian spirits, completing the curriculum to become an Awamori Jinbner in 2020.
Recent articles by Richard Legg
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Author: Ben Ellefsen
Co-founder of Master of Malt, Atom Brands and Maverick Drinks
Ben has a brain full of cocktail recipes, Alan Partridge quotes, and ideas for new and delicious spirits for your enjoyment, having created That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Bathtub Gin (Ableforth's), and countless other successful spirits brands. He's a massive drinks-geek (wine, whisky, gin, beer, 'other' - in that order), a keen and obsessive amateur chef, a petrolhead, an AV-nerd, and a bit annoyed he never got to be a bartender. Since 2014 he's also been a Keeper of the Quaich (an honour that recognises outstanding commitment to Scotch whisky), as well as being a Liveryman in the worshipful company of distillers, and a Warden Rectifier within the Gin Guild.
Recent articles by Ben Ellefsen
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Author: Justin Petszaft
MoM co-founder and managing director
MD of Master of Malt and Atom Group, Justin is passionate about investing in people and technology to deliver exceptional, uncompromising experiences for drinks fans. He'll pop up on the blog to share important news, updates and features about the website and company. Trained as a theoretical physicist, Justin can also be found enjoying a single cask Braeval or bourbon, running around a squash court, or naming his children after seige engines.
Recent articles by Justin Petszaft
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Author: Alwynne Gwilt
Contributor
Alwynne Gwilt is a whisky consultant and journalist who's worked in the industry since 2011 when she launched her blog: Miss Whisky. As one of the first whisky blogs spearheaded by a woman, she worked to change the age-old belief that ‘women don’t drink whisky’. She’s run tastings globally as an independent specialist, and as a brand ambasador for William Grant & Sons and The Balvenie single malt. Named one of the Top Women in Whisky, she's appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers over the last 13 years.
Recent articles by Alwynne Gwilt
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Author: Mark Reynier
Contributor
Best known to whisky lovers as the man who rescued and revived Bruichladdich is stunning fashion, Mark was also a founder of independent whisky bottler Murray McDavid, bringing his wine trade background to both with whiskies regularly finished in prestigious wine casks. Following the sale of Bruichladdich to Rémy Cointreau in 2012, he went on to found Waterford distillery in Ireland in 2015. His Renegade Rum Company, meanwhile, has also built its own distillery in Grenada. As well as his innovative approach on Islay, Mark is well known as a champion of (the sometimes controversial concept of) terroir in whisky (and rum).
Recent articles by Mark Reynier
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Author: Nick Morgan
Contributor
Nick Morgan’s career as a historian and writer was rudely interrupted by a thirty-year, award-winning spell in the Scotch whisky business. He established an historical archive for United Distillers (now the largest archive of historical material relating to alcoholic beverages in the world), after which he deftly side-stepped into marketing, managing the largest portfolio of single malts in the world, including brands such as Lagavulin, Talisker, Clynelish and Caol Ila. After more than twelve years he was appointed head of whisky outreach, affectionately known to some as ‘Diageo’s human shield’. In 2017 he received the IWSC Outstanding Achievement award, and he's also a Master of the Quaich. Having left Diageo he has now returned to the relative sanity of the past, and published books such as A Long Stride, the official history of Johnnie Walker, and Everything You Need to Know About Whisky (But are too afraid to ask).
Recent articles by Nick Morgan
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Author: Lucy Britner
Contributor
Lucy is a highly experienced and knowledgeable editor of titles such as Drinks Retailing, Just-Drinks, Drinks International, Square Meal and World’s 50 Best Bars over the course of nearly two decades writing about food and drink. She become a Keeper of the Quaich in 2019 (an honour that recognises outstanding commitment to Scotch whisky).
Recent articles by Lucy Britner
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Author: Filipe Schrieberg
Contributor
Felipe is a senior contributor to titles such as Forbes and Whisky Magazine. He's received prestigious awards such as the Icons of Whisky Communicator of the Year (2022) and lan Lodge Young International Drinks Writer of the Year (2021) for his work, as well as becoming a Keeper of the Quaich. Felipe is also a fantastic blues musician and singer, combining his two passions in The Rhythm and Booze Project: bringing together live music, whisky tastings and independent bottlings (as well as working with the pranksters here at MoM to actually release a tonic wine cask finish whisky on 1 April 2021).
Recent articles by Felipe Schrieberg
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Author: Millie Milliken
Contributor
Millie is an award-winning spirits and cocktail journalist. She's spent over 10 years writing about food, drink and the people behind the industry. She's written for publications in the UK and US, across both consumer and trade audiences and spends most of her time travelling the world to find the most compelling stories surrounding booze. Millie is also head of content for the OurWhisky Foundation - a not-for-profit supporting women in (or looking to get into) the whisky industry.
Recent articles by Millie Milliken
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Author: Ian Buxton
Contributor
Reknowned drinks writer and author of countless books including the essential 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die and 101 Gins to Try Before You Die. Ian is a former marketing director of Glenmorangie single malt, a Keeper of the Quaich, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Distillers and a member of the Gin Guild. His is a bitter-sweet love affair with Scotland’s national drink – not to mention gin and rum, or whatever the nearest PR is pouring. Once, apparently without noticing, he bought a derelict distillery. Follow his passionate, authentic hand-crafted artisanal journey on the Master of Malt blog. Or just buy his books. It’s what he really wants.
Recent articles by Ian Buxton
Author: Lauren Eads
Contributor
Lauren Eads is a freelance writer and guest contributor to the Master of Malt blog. She has worked as managing editor of The Drinks Business and holds a Level 4 Diploma in Wine from the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust).
Recent articles by Lauren Eads
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Author: Nate Brown
Contributor
Nate is an award-winning London cocktail bar owner, operator and consultant, as well as writing for publications such as Imbibe. His venues include cocktail and pizza bar Nebula, Soda & Friends (Bar Employer of the Year, CLASS Bar Awards 2024), and Paloma Cafe.
Recent articles by Nate Brown
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Author: Lucy Shaw
Contributor
Former editor of The Drinks Business magazine, Lucy is a freelance writer and editor specialising in wine, spirits, food, and travel with 15 years of experience in the drinks industry. Having started out as editorial assistant at Decanter magazine, she has written for the likes of Newsweek, GQ, Club Oenologique, and the Evening Standard, and has been shortlisted for the Louis Roederer Emerging Wine Writer of the Year award four times. A sucker for a well-made Old Fashioned, she recently swapped west London for the Herefordshire hills.
Recent articles by Lucy Shaw
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Author: Michael Orson
Contributor & former MoM writer
Michael is a branding consultant by day and a spirits enthusiast by night. It all began at the tender age of 19 when he saw the 1988 Tom Cruise classic, Cocktail. Within days, he was working behind a bar and learning the dark arts of mixology. One evening, Master of Malt's illustrious directors Justin Petszaft and Ben Ellefsen walked in and offered him a job and the rest is history. To quote Doug Coughlin, "There's no better way to make it than behind three feet of mahogany." Over the years since he's lived around the world and worked for brands like Samsung, Siemens, and Tabasco. He's also seen Toto six times in concert.
Recent articles by Michael Orson
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Author: Annie Hayes
Drinks writer & former MoM features editor
Annie is an esteemed journalist across the topics of spirits and cocktails, as well as health and lifestyle. She has worked for The Spirits Business and Men’s Health, judged a number of cocktail competitions, and her work has featured in the likes of Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Runner’s World, Prima and Women’s Health. Whether it’s cocktail recipes and ingredients, hangover cures, Veganuary, or shining a spotlight on spirits production processes, Annie has a nose for a story and is one of our favourite writers.
Recent articles by Annie Hayes
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Author: Sam Smith
Former MoM Wordsmith
Sam lugged boxes around a booze warehouse in his beloved Somerset for a year after finishing his Creative Writing degree, before finding a way to combine elements of both those activities as part of the Master of Malt content team. For almost a decade he weaved his unique brand of word magic at MoM Towers. After some fag packet maths, we’re pretty sure Sam's spirits oeuvre contains well over three times as many words as Shakespeare's works, and was written in a fraction of the time too. Sam is fond of a Sazerac and loves both going to gigs and making salsa. This is a different Sam Smith to the famous singer. Our Sam Smith can’t sing.
Recent articles by/about Sam Smith
Author: Alex Badescu
Former Content writer
Alex originally joined Master of Malt's sister company Atom Brands as a distillery assistant, aided by her background in organic chemistry, cell biology, and recipe development. She's also been a spirits judge at the People's Choice Awards, and brought all these experiences to bear when she joined our editorial team in 2022.
Recent articles by Alex Badescu
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