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.
2024 Whisky Treasure hunt – what have we learned so far?UPDATE: The hunt has concluded, and the big chest has been found. Check out our main treasure hunt page for more details. Congrats to Grant who travelled down from Leed to…
Solara: A flavour-packed Spacesider for the weekend?Solara Sherried Whisky gives you all the power and personality of a sherry bomb with the potential to pun until you drop. Don’t take it from us, though, there’s Atom Labs…
Olorosum: big sherry flavour at cask strengthOlorosum 10 Year Old is one of Atom Labs’ latest efforts and it’s safe to say, it’s proving very popular. So, here’s founder Ben Ellefsen to talk you through this…
New Arrival of the Week: Profound Richness 10 Year OldYou may have noticed a bold and beautiful new whisky hit our shelves. It’s called Profound Richness 10 Year Old and here’s Ben Ellefsen to tell you more. Because sometimes…
Intensity: it does what it says on the (very sexy) bottle.Ben Ellefsen is back to talk you through the delights of Intensity 10 Year Old. It looks as good as it tastes. I’ve been racking my brain for weeks as to…
New Arrival of the Week: Beautiful FruitBeautiful Fruit 8 Year Old is our new arrival, appropriately an Irish whiskey right in time for St. Patrick’s Day. It’s also very much in the ‘does what it says…
Making Martini-March with Bathtub Gin flavoursBen Ellefsen is making a call to arms this week to make Martini-March (AKA Marchtini) happen and he’s got bags of Bathtub Gin recipes to help. What do you mean…
Wormtub 12 Year Old. Single cask. First-fill oloroso. Natural strength. Winning.Here’s a little update on the Wormtub range, which has taken things up to 11. By which we mean 12. Because it’s Wormtub 12 Year Old Single Cask. You know what?…
February’s MoM indie bottling releasesWe’re back with our monthly supply of independent bottlings including an old Springbank (!) and whisky from Canada, Wales, and Ireland. Yep. That was a month. Ridiculous. Next thing you…
Dunderhead – why mucky & dirty are good words when it comes to rumThe world of dunder in rum is explored here by Ben who explains the phenomenon behind the funk and why a love of it contributed to the creation of Dunderhead…
More peaty &Whisky mashupsBen Ellefsen returns to talk you through the latest creations in the &Whisky range while also breaking down some technical mumbo-jumbo on surface-area/volume ratios in casks. As alluded to in…
Who doesn’t love maple syrup, toasted oats, orange zest, and vanilla?Here’s Atom Labs founder Ben Ellefsen on the wonders of Maple Syrup & Toasted Oats & Orange Zest & Vanilla 7 Year Old, one of the latest ampersanded whiskies that…
January’s MoM indie bottlingsMoM bottlings aren’t just for Christmas, they’re for life. Until you drink them. Anyway, the point is we’re back for 2023 and as always, here’s Ben to run you through…
When is a whisky not a whisky? The deal with Defilement 40 Year OldThis week we’re sipping a rather lovely dram of 40-year-old whisky. That’s from no specific region. But also it kinda is. Allow MoM founder and managing director of Atom Labs,…
Old smoke, old grain: what’s not to like?Our last batch of MoM bottlings for the year features an Italian blend, a trip to tropical fruit territory, and a final 2022 secret from Speyside. After the past few weeks’…
What are ‘Christmas spices’ and how’d they get in my whisky?Ben is back with another batch of MoM single cask bottlings, but really what he’s most excited to do is ask the question you saw in the title of this…
