Jake Mountain
Jake Mountain, resident 'doer of things' and MoM OG
With over 15 years' experience in the spirits industry, Jake's 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, plus some 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.
Jake's Whiskies of the Month (August 2026)
Jaywalk Bonded
American straight rye whiskey
Made with Horton rye, a true heirloom grain discovered through an investigation into historic New York rye varieties alongside Cornell University. They then managed to get hold of just 10 seeds! It took years to propagate, test, and grow enough to even start using in whiskeys, which is here then aged for a generous seven years. The mash bill consists of 75% rye, 13% corn, and 12% malted barley, and being a Bottled in Bond release, each bottle is produced in a single season and bottled at 50% ABV. Great neat or in an Old Fashioned, or for a different take on classic rye cocktails.
"I’ve been a fan of Allen Katz’s New York Distilling Company since 2013 when Dorothy Parker Gin landed in the UK (it's been restocked on my drinks shelf ever since), but their heirloom rye journey is truly extraordinary, and the deeper, fruitier, less spicy rye whiskey released is just fantastic."
Jake Mountain
Resident doer of things, spirits buff & MoM OG
Tasting notes
Brown sugar, floral honey, earthy vanilla, some dark fruit.
Rich, cacao, pink peppercorn, clove, ripe peach, dried mango.
Butterscotch, slightly herbal, gently warming.
Glenglassaugh Sandend
Scotch single malt Whisky, Speyside region
The distillery sits on the rugged north Aberdeenshire coast, nestled behind the beautiful surfer's haven, Sandend Bay. Master blender Rachel Barrie has fond childhood memories of time spent at Sandend and even learned to surf there, and now the bay is honoured in the form of this unpeated single malt. Matured in a combo of bourbon, sherry, and manzanilla casks, it's bursting with notes of tropical fruit and tablet, with delicate coastal salinity in the distance.
"Fruity, coastal malt with a lick of dry, coastal manzanilla sherry is just a dream. Throw in the facts that it was Whisky Advocate’s Whisky of the Year in 2023, comes in that jaw-droppingly gorgeous bottle, and is bottled at 50.5% ABV and things are getting serious!"
Jake Mountain
Resident doer of things, spirits buff & MoM OG
Tasting notes
We're met with delightful notes of buttery fudge, vanilla ice cream, candied mango, and salted papaya.
Tablet, mango, and toasted vanilla trickle throughout, backed by boiled pineapple sweeties and creamy barley.
Grapefruit and juicy berries, more vanilla and butterscotch, and a distant coastal breeze.
