Authors

Adam O'Connell

Adam O'Connell has been writing for Master of Malt for over eight 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 1,000 articles to its award-winning online blog, The Whisk(e)y Wash, and many of the handy guides you might have enjoyed. He’s even jammed with Kiefer Sutherland AND dined with Ainsley Harriott. Not at the same time.

Alex Badescu

Writer at Master of Malt with a background in organic chemistry, cell biology, and distilling.

Alwynne Gwilt

Angus Martin

Annie Hayes

Former Master of Malt features editor Annie Hayes 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.

Ben Ellefsen

Ben Ellefsen is a co-founder of Master of Malt, Atom Brands and Maverick Drinks, with a brain full of cocktail recipes, Alan Partridge quotes, and ideas for new and delicious spirits and flavours for your enjoyment. Since 2014 he has been both a Keeper of the Quaich (an honour that recognises outstanding commitment to Scotch whisky) and a Warden Rectifier within the Gin Guild.

Ben Michael V

Cat Spencer

Dave Worthington

Dave Worthington is That Boutiquey-Whisky Company’s beloved and hard-working global brand ambassador. Recognised as the world whisky Whisky Brand Ambassador of the Year by the Icons of Whisky awards in 2018, Dave started documenting his adventures and tastings as an enthusiast on his Whisky Discovery blog as far back as 2011 before leaving his engineering career behind to share his infectious love for this amazing spirit full-time.

Emma Symons

Emma Symons is a content executive at Master of Malt, where she has been working since 2014. Starting her days in the customer service department, she soon became immersed in the world of spirits with a passion for learning and sharing her knowledge. Having gained in-depth product experience, and qualifications as both a WSET Educator, and in its level three Spirits course, she now writes product-related content for the Master of Malt website and social media. You'll usually find Emma out taking photos, rummaging in junk shops, or anywhere that there's a tasting happening.

Felipe Schrieberg

Guest contributor Felipe Schrieberg is also a senior contributor to titles such as Forbes and Whisky Magazine, receiving 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. 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 at Master of Malt to actually release a tonic wine cask finish whisky on 1 April 2021).

Gareth Arnold

Henry Jeffreys

Henry Jeffreys worked in the wine trade and publishing before becoming a writer. He’s features editor for the Master of Malt blog as well as contributing to various publications and has appeared on BBC radio and TV. He won Fortnum & Mason Drink Writer of the Year 2022/23 and is the author of four books: Empire of Booze, The Home Bar, The Cocktail Dictionary, and Vines in a Cold Climate.

Ian Buxton

Though he has neither a beard nor any visible tattoos or piercings, Ian Buxton is well-placed to write about drinks. A former marketing director of one of Scotland’s favourite single malts, 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.

Jake Mountain

With fifteen years' experience in the spirits industry, Jake is our resident 'doer of things'. He'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. He's an expert whose particular areas of passion include single pot still Irish whiskey, coastal spirits and boozy stirred-down cocktails, as well as funky agricole rhum and cachaça. He'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.

James Evans

James Evans joined Master of Malt’s campaigns team in 2021 having previously worked with PR firm Steely Fox whose clients included Ian McLeod, Arran and Hunter Laing among others. An Edinburgh local with a passion for whisky and cocktails, he is now brand manager at Wemyss' exciting Kingsbarns Distillery.

JC Connington

Jess Williamson

Jess has been writing for Master of Malt since 2019 having studied at the University of Bristol, contributing features from food and whisky pairings to visiting distilleries, as well as formulating Master of Malt's data-driven industry trends reports. You'll also find 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!).

Joel Davidge

Joel Davidge writes about sustainability and the drinks industry for The Cocktail Service.

Justin

Founder and managing director of Master of Malt and Atom Group, Justin Petszaft believes in investing in people and technology to deliver exceptional experiences for drinks fans. Trained as a theoretical physicist, Justin can also be found enjoying a single cask Braeval or bourbon, or running around a squash court.

Kristiane Sherry

Kristiane Sherry 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 co-presents live tastings for whisky subscription service Pour & Sip. When she’s not immersed in the world of spirits, she can be found trail running across her local South Downs National Park.

Lauren Eads

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 from the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust).

Loukia Xinari

Loukia Xinari is a freelance writer and sometime contributor to the Master of Malt blog.

Lucy Britner

Guest contributor Lucy Britner is a highly experienced and knowledgeable editor of titles such as Drinks Retailing, Just-Drinks, Drinks International and World’s 50 Best Bars, becoming a Keeper of the Quaich in 2019 (an honour that recognises outstanding commitment to Scotch whisky).

Lucy Shaw

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.

Mark Reynier

Master of Malt

We employ a wide range of writers, authors, commentators and industry experts for the Master of Malt blog.

Michael Orson

Michael Orson 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.

Millie Milliken

Millie Milliken is an award-winning spirits and cocktail journalist. She has spent over 10 years writing about food, drink and the people behind the industry. She has 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. She is also head of content for the OurWhisky Foundation - a not-for-profit supporting women in (or looking to get into) the whisky industry.

Nate Brown

Nate Brown is a sometime contributor to the Master of Malt blog.

Nicholas Morgan

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. He is a Master of the Quaich. Having left Diageo he has now returned to the relative sanity of the past, and recently published A Long Stride (2020), the official history of Johnnie Walker, and in 2021 Everything You Need to Know About Whisky But Are Too Afraid to Ask. He writes regularly for the Master of Malt blog and others about Scotch whisky and other spirits.

Richard Legg

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.

Sam Simmons

Sam Simmons, 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.

Sam Smith

Sam Smith is a writer and author and sometime writer for the Master of Malt blog.

Whisky Santa

Master of Malt's multi-award-winning #WhiskySanta is back for 2025 with a £750,000 giveaway for all lovers of whisky, gin, rum and more!