If you’re partial to an Islay dram, by now you’ll be familiar with Ardbeg An Oa – but how much do you know about its makeup? Brendan McCarron, head of…
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Master of Malt blog
Author: 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.
Twenty-four hours on from one of the biggest Scotch whisky announcements of the year – challenged only by news of Port Ellen and Brora‘s revival a mere day before –…
Tell ya what, it’s a great week to be a mothballed Scotch whisky distillery – Ian Macleod Distillers has announced it will be resurrecting beloved Lowland single malt Rosebank. Yesterday…
While 2017 might not be over quite yet – there are trees to be decorated, gifts to be wrapped, and many, many mince pies to be scoffed – we can’t…
Jetting off somewhere exotic? Milling around in departures? Put down the giant Toblerone and step away from designer perfume – the travel retail spirits department is likely worth a visit……
*MEGA WHISKY NEWS KLAXON* The rumours are true! Two of Scotland’s most iconic closed whisky distilleries, Port Ellen and Brora, are to be brought back to life by 2020, to…
Marrying a progressive approach to ingredient sourcing, terroir and cask exploration with traditional hands-on production techniques, Islay-based Bruichladdich is a distillery for the ages. We chat with production director Allan…
No expense was spared for one Macallan super-fan, who recently smashed the world record for a cask sale at auction when they splashed out HK$2,928,000 (about £285,000) on a 30-year-old…
Calling all UK drinks industry colleagues: this one’s for you! The Benevolent has launched a free, confidential helpline dedicated to mental health and wellbeing for the trade – and it…
Back once again with a super-old cask: Gordon & MacPhail marks a defining moment in WWII with Private Collection Glenlivet 1943, one of the oldest single malts in the world….
Earlier this year we introduced you to dynamic English whisky distillery, Spirit of Yorkshire. To pacify impatient fans (ourselves included!) as its single malt comes of age, the independent producer…
While digital is a medium we’ve all come to depend upon for the latest booze news, there’s nothing quite like settling down with a cocktail in hand and thumbing through…
Oxford’s first (legal) distillery is here, and it’s taking a pioneering approach to sustainable spirits. We visited The Oxford Artisan Distillery to find out why the team began distilling gin,…
Launched last year to mark the beginning of the Islay distillery’s 200th anniversary celebrations, Lagavulin 8 Year Old woo-ed Scotch whisky fans far and wide with its peaty deliciousness. It…
Though longstanding, the relationship between London and gin has not always been the healthiest. While city dwellers have not quite harked back to 18th-century-Gin-Craze level fixation (a relief for everyone,…
From botanical sodas to small-batch colas, premium mixers are having more than a moment – as such, it seems borderline criminal to pair a great gin with one-size-fits-all bargain bin…
Having brought peat back to the fore in recent years, Highland Scotch whisky distillery Knockdhu is stepping its newfound phenol obsession up a level with the launch of its smokiest…
Whether you’re an accomplished at-home bartender or tend to leave it to the professionals, we’re sure you’ll agree the Old Fashioned is a no-nonsense cocktail staple. Coinciding with Old Fashioned…
World-renowned bars Dandelyan and Licorería Limantour have joined forces for a collaborative cocktail menu that defies nature just in time for Halloween. Pickling, curing, and mummifying are the order of…
If you’re marking the Day of the Dead, why not honour the departed with one of these incredible Mexican spirits? Observed on 2 November each year, traditional Latin American celebration…