It’s an Irish whiskey double-bill today. This morning we had exciting news of developments at Sliabh Liag, and now this afternoon Ian Buxton looks at problems and disagreements behind the…
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Master of Malt blog
Category: Features
Featured news, interviews and articles covering whisky, rum, gin, tequila and mezcal and other drinks and spirits, as well as the drinks industry.
What makes a distillery ‘organic’? Increasingly, distillers are applying this sustainable practice to their entire production process – and they have the paperwork to prove it. Here, we take a closer…
Bitters are something of the salt and pepper of the cocktail world, but beyond Angostura and Peychaud, what’s the deal? We grabbed a minute with Bob Petrie of Bob’s Bitters…
Sound the whisky klaxon! International spirits kingpin Distell has just released eight exceptional limited-edition bottlings across its single malt Scotch whisky portfolio, which spans Tobermory, Deanston and Bunnahabhain distilleries. And…
For the second and final instalment of our series on Icelandic spirits, we explore the island’s native flavours and traditions, from sheep dung-smoked spirits to fermented shark chasers, reveal the…
From dramatic glacier-cut fjords to lunar-like lava fields, cascading waterfalls to black sand beaches, Iceland’s surreal and mesmerising landscapes have been shaped by the forces of nature over millions of…
This week Ian Buxton applies his boozy magnifying glass on maturation and asks if it can ever be manipulated or accelerated to produce a quality spirit. I found myself recently…
After 523 years, the stills at Lindores Abbey Distillery were fired up, ready for whisky production to begin. We spoke to its owners and founders, Drew and Helen McKenzie Smith,…
If you can’t make it to a distillery right now, why not let the distillery come to you? A few weeks ago, MoM participated in a virtual gin tasting and…
Chivas Regal is one of the biggest and most recognisable blended Scotch whiskies in the world. We talk to custodian master blender Colin Scott as he turns in his tasting…
Last month, bars and restaurants across the UK unlocked doors after nearly four long months. But for some venues, July meant planning a (socially-distanced) grand opening. What’s it like to…
One of the original pioneers of the UK gin boom, the family-owned 6 O’clock Gin is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. We chat to its founders about its history,…
Whether it’s been filtered through ancient volcanic rock, siphoned from a mountain glacier, or collected from the tears of fertile mountain goats (hypothetically speaking), water is an essential ingredient in…
Today, we talk to the marketing guru behind such brands as Sailor Jerry rum, Hendrick’s and, most recently, Malfy Gin. His latest venture, Hotel Starlino, aims to bring Italian aperitivos…
From man’s best friend to an ostentation of peafowl, many distilleries are home to more than just the people behind the brands. Today, we talk tail feathers, snooze spots and…
As master blender and strategic inventory manager for Beam Suntory – which owns Laphroaig, Bowmore, Auchentoshan and others – Ron Welsh has a better idea than most about what you’ll…
Molecular gastronomy has revolutionised our understanding of flavour in food, and now this approach has found an application in spirits-making. Founded by three Cambridge scientists and engineers, Linden Leaf Botanicals…
If the closest you’ve ever been to using alcohol as an ingredient is a splash of red in your bolognese or a haphazard festive flambé, you’ve been missing a trick….
In the second part of his look at how the spirits business is coping with the Covid pandemic, Ian Buxton looks at the craft distilling sector both here and in…
Cleo Farman, the creator of the Diablesse Rum, joins us to talk about challenging preconceptions, betting her house on the brand and receiving a ‘Guardian of Rum’ commemorative coin from…