Adam O'Connell

Adam O'Connell - Page 3

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.

The Master of Malt Burns Night 2026 bottling at a Burns Supper sceneThe Top Master of Malt Bottlings 2025

These are five Master of Malt Bottlings for 2025 that we think you’ll love. Last year was the 40th anniversary of Master of Malt. To celebrate, we bottled up so…

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A cocktail made at Handshake Speakeasy, the World's Best BarDrinks Trends for 2026: Five Shifts That Will Actually Shape What We Drink

If you read every drinks trends report for 2026, you would conclude that the next year will involve drinking earlier, drinking louder, drinking locally, drinking less alcohol, drinking more cocktails,…

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Rosemaund Farm Whisky being carried through a fieldTop Whisky Distilleries 2026 To Watch Out For

New whisky distilleries. Once, that was a concept that excited me so much. All the possibilities. As we enter 2026, I find myself in more stoic territory. There have been…

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Win a year's supply of Johnnie WalkerTop 10 Best Whiskies for a Highball

We’re kicking off the New Year with our top 10 best whiskies for a Highball. It’s the simplest of mixed drinks, just whisky stretched with plenty of ice and topped with…

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The Fettercairn Vanguard Series: a sense of synaesthesiaTop Whiskies We Loved in 2025

Every year, you can count on there being new whisky. Some of it is rather good. Like the ones below, which made the cut for the top whiskies we loved…

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Win a Glen Scotia prize bundle!Top Whiskies of the Year 2025

It’s tough to narrow down the top whiskies of the year for 2025. Which is good, it means there were lots of bottles we enjoyed. In fact, we’ve actually decided…

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Top Rums of the Year 2025Top Rums of the Year 2025

The criteria for the top rums of 2025 are straightforward. The rum in question had to land on our virtual shelves after 2024 and before 2026, and it had to be…

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A bottle of Cygnet 77 Gin surrounded by luxurious woodTop Gins of the Year 2025

The top gins of the year 2025 may include gins you love. It may not have some bottles you expect to see. That’s because it’s purely a list of gins…

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The Heart Cut x Barley, the first core release from the independent bottlerThe Heart Cut x Barley: A Love Letter to English Whisky

Meet The Heart Cut x Barley. It is the bottler’s first core release following 21 independent pickings from various distilleries.  The brand’s USP over the last two years has been this:…

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Jim Beam pauses production for 2026Jim Beam Pauses Production For 2026

Jim Beam will pause production at its main Kentucky distillery for the entirety of 2026. For a brand of this scale, that decision matters. Owned by Suntory Global Spirits, Jim…

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Top 10 New Year’s Eve 2025 DrinksTop 10 New Year’s Eve 2025 Drinks

Here’s Master of Malt’s Top 10 New Year’s Eve 2025 Drinks. Let’s face it, a lot of people have turned on New Year’s Eve. The over-priced, watered-down drinks. The queues…

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Win Steph Curry's jersey with Gentleman's Cut Bourbon!Win Steph Curry’s Jersey with Gentleman’s Cut Bourbon!

Did you know that Master of Malt is the only place you should buy Gentleman’s Cut Bourbon Whiskey? It is. Promise. We have a very good reason. Because we’re offering…

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Win Perrier-Jouët Champagne!Win Perrier-Jouët Champagne!

Perrier-Jouët Champagne can keep any celebration going. But this competition is going to give you the perfect excuse to pop open a bottle of bubbly. How to win Perrier-Jouët Champagne:…

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Coleburn's Local Heroes rangeInside the Coleburn Distillery Revival

The Coleburn Distillery revival is one of the most ambitious whisky projects in Scotland right now, and it is happening quietly in a Speyside gully that most visitors speed past…

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Best Bottles Under £30 For Christmas
Best Bottles Under £30 For Christmas

Bargain hunting? These are some picks for the best bottles under £30 for Christmas. Just because it’s the season to be jolly commercial, that doesn’t mean you can’t find a…

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Balvenie Caribbean CaskThe Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14: A Festive Favourite With a Seriously Tasty Prize

The festive season is finally here, which means it is time for whisky that feels like a treat without needing an occasion. Step forward: Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old….

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