Adam O'Connell

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.

A bottle of Dingle Single Pot Still Whiskey in IrelandSingle Pot Still Irish Whiskey: Ireland’s Greatest Style, Still Explaining Itself

Scotland has single malt. America has bourbon. Ireland has single pot still whiskey. And yet, when people talk about prestige whiskey, they still reach for single malt like it’s the…

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Ardbeg Dolce at a Sicilian sceneArdbeg Dolce brings Marsala sweetness to Islay smoke

Ardbeg Dolce is the 2026 Ardbeg Day release, landing during Fèis Ìle on 30 May, with early access for Committee members from 26 May. The hook is simple. This is…

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The Whiskey sour cocktail is a classic whisky pairingTop 10 Whiskies for a Whisky Sour (That Bartenders Actually Use)

The best whisky for a Whisky Sour comes down to balance. You need a spirit that can handle lemon and sugar without disappearing. Something that cuts through citrus, brings its…

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Chivas Regal 18 Year OldBrown-Forman and Pernod Ricard Confirm Merger Talks

Today, Brown-Forman and Pernod Ricard confirm the merger talks are no longer rumour.  Both companies reveal they’re in discussions about a potential “business combination”, following reports that broke on 26…

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Lifestyle imagrey for the launch of the Jura Sherry Cask RangeJura Sherry Cask Range: Beyond the Gateway Whisky

Today we are reporting from the launch of the Jura Sherry Cask range. The new series showcases single malt Scotch whiskies each finished in a different sherry cask. The name…

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The logo for the World Whiskies Awards 2026What Is The World’s Best Whisky 2026? Bowmore 21 Year Old

The World’s Best Whisky 2026 has been named. The World Whiskies Awards were last night and named what its judges deemed the best of the best. The big headline. Bowmore…

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Deanston Orange Wine Cask 17 Year Old on a table with Glencairn glasses full of whiskyDeanston Orange Wine Cask 17 Year Old: When Whisky Means Something

Deanston Orange Wine Cask 17 Year Old has hit our virtual shelves today. But that’s not the reason I want to write about this whisky. For that, I need to…

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Torabhaig Taigh on the Isle of SkyeTorabhaig Taigh: The First Core Range Whisky Lands

News today has broken that Torabhaig Taigh will become the first permanent release from the Isle of Skye distillery.  Previously, Torabhaig has added whiskies to its Legacy Series, a range…

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Terroir in whisky, Waterford DistilleryWaterford Distillery Has Been Sold to Tennessee Distilling Group

Waterford Distillery, the farm-driven Irish whiskey project founded by Mark Reynier, has been sold to Tennessee Distilling Group (TDG) after collapsing into receivership in late 2024. If you’ve been following…

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Five New Releases from That Boutique-y Whisky Company include this Glen Garioch single maltTop 10 Single Malts Worth Splashing Out On

Got any picks for the Top 10 Single Malts Worth Splashing Out On? Suggest some in the comments below.  There comes a time when you want to buy a really…

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A bottle of The GlenAllachie 35 Year Old Cask Strength being poured into Glencairn glasses on a wooden table with a presentation boxThe GlenAllachie 35 Year Old Cask Strength: New Whisky Alert

The GlenAllachie 35 Year Old Cask Strength has landed. Want to learn more? Of course you do. It’s 35yo cask strength GlenAllachie. This Speyside single malt is a GlenAllachie master distiller…

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A bottle of Singleton 25 Year Old among other single malts from the same rangeWho Wants To Win A Bottle of Singleton 25 Year Old?

There are competitions where you might win a branded glass. Then there are competitions where you win Singleton 25 Year Old. This is the second kind. It’s worth £352.50. Right now…

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A bottle of Glenmorangie The Thirty in a warehouseGlenmorangie The Thirty Becomes Oldest Core Range Whisky

Glenmorangie The Thirty is set to become the oldest whisky in the Highland distillery’s core range when it launches at the end of March. It tells you a lot about…

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The label of Shindo Experimental 01Shindo Experimental 01 and the End of Japanese Whisky Mystique

Shindo Experimental 01 arrives at Master of Malt this week. And at a moment when Japanese whisky can no longer rely on romance alone. Age statements are thin on the…

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Whisky is a low-calorie alcoholThere Will Be a 100-Year-Old Whisky in the Future

The idea of a 100-year-old whisky is not a fantasy. Thanks to Gordon & MacPhail, it seems that it will one day be an inevitability.  “My brother talks about the…

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Gordon & MacPhail bottle of 1949 Glenlivet single maltUnlocking the Liquid Library of Gordon & MacPhail Whisky

Gordon & MacPhail whisky has a relationship with time like few companies. The family-owned firm has spent more than a century quietly building a liquid archive of Scotch whisky. The full…

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