Master of Malt Blog

This week we’re celebrating a Cuban Prohibition classic, El Presidente; it’s an enigma in rum, vermouth and bitters. But what have the French got to do with it – or…

Features

Amanda Garnham: Lady Armagnac

Henry Jeffreys

April 13, 2021 2:41 pm

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With the news that Amanda Garnham is ‘stepping back’ from her role at the Armagnac Bureau, we talk to the woman who for the past 18 years has been the…

Competitions

Win some delicious Darkness whisky!

Adam O'Connell

April 13, 2021 2:00 pm

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We’re not even going to ask you if you’d like the chance to win some amazing Darkness whisky. Because we know you would. And lucky for you, we have provided…

Features

Is the living room the new tasting room?

Lucy Britner

April 8, 2021 2:00 pm

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For the drinks industry, as with almost everywhere else, virtual has become the new reality. But as restrictions begin to lift, will it last, asks Lucy Britner. Is the living room…

Features

Mixto Tequila: time for a reappraisal?

Millie Milliken

April 8, 2021 10:00 am

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As the UK starts to see a slew of new mixto Tequila brands entering the market, we examine the perception of mixtos, speak to the people making them and ask…

Irish Whiskey Whisky

An Interview with Helen MulHolland – Bushmills’ Master Blender

Master of Malt

December 16, 2010 1:06 pm

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Bushmills recently launched brand new packaging for their standard range. We caught up with Helen MulHolland, the Master Blender at Bushmills… MoM: First off, let’s talk about the new packaging…

Bushmills recently launched brand new packaging for their standard range. We caught up with Helen MulHolland, the Master Blender at Bushmills…

MoM: First off, let’s talk about the new packaging for the range, we must say it looks stunning, what was the thinking behind the revamp…

HM: Thanks – I think that it looks stunning too! At BUSHMILLS we are always looking to stay with the times and refine both our product and our offering. We felt that it was time to refresh our look and focus on the future of this fantastic brand, while at the same time celebrating the heritage and quality that is integral to BUSHMILLS.

MoM: Will there be any other redesigns/revamps going on at the Bushmills camp?

HM: Well, we’ve have just renewed our entire range, so no immediate plans for other revamps

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Competitions Whisky

Compass Box 10th Anniversary Competition

Master of Malt

December 7, 2010 5:12 pm

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Compass Box are celebrating their 10th anniversary, so we’ve teamed up with them to bring you an incredible competition. We’re offering two of you the chance to visit the Compass…

Compass Box are celebrating their 10th anniversary, so we’ve teamed up with them to bring you an incredible competition.

We’re offering two of you the chance to visit the Compass Box London HQ, where you will enjoy the ultimate Compass Box experience.

All you have to do to enter is buy any bottle of Compass Box whisky from our site, but hurry, because there are only 250 chances to enter!

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News

A Message from The Chaps at Master of Malt

Master of Malt

December 3, 2010 11:19 am

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“I’m just going outside and may be some time…” one of our directors was heard to say as he ventured out to an icy scene of treachery and peril, in…

Master of Malt Headquarters - A scene of peril - it just claimed Ben's ankle

“I’m just going outside and may be some time…” one of our directors was heard to say as he ventured out to an icy scene of treachery and peril, in equal measure. He will be missed.

Yes beloved customers, friends and passers-by, the conditions here at MoM HQ have worsened, and despite our best efforts (we’ve hired legions of extra staff and a fleet of off-road vehicles with altimeters on their dashboards), things have gotten awfully chaotic. We are currently one of just a handful of business in Tunbridge Wells still open today (thankfully the majority of our staff lives locally, and those who haven’t have been collected by Ben in his 4×4).

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Cocktails News Whisky

Master of Malt Cask-Aged Whisky Bitters

Master of Malt

November 30, 2010 1:40 pm

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Bitters, bitters, bitters. We’ve made some bitters! Hurrah! As lovers of the fine whisky/whiskey cocktail, we knew it was time to make our first foray into the land of bitters….

Bitters, bitters, bitters. We’ve made some bitters!

Hurrah! As lovers of the fine whisky/whiskey cocktail, we knew it was time to make our first foray into the land of bitters. So, at great length, we created what we at Master of Malt consider to be the finest bitters for making of whisky cocktails, KNOWN TO MANKIND.

In fact, these are (to our knowledge), the highest alcoholic proof bitters, which are the most costly to make and the most expensive to buy, ever! Oh yes…

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Whisky

Our trip to Balblair, Knockdhu, and Pulteney

Ben Ellefsen

November 30, 2010 11:02 am

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It’s a welcome occupational hazard, being one of the largest whisky retailers on the web, that from time to time, distilleries, distributors and agents will want to show you ‘where…

It’s a welcome occupational hazard, being one of the largest whisky retailers on the web, that from time to time, distilleries, distributors and agents will want to show you ‘where it all comes from’ so to speak…

Recently, Master of Malt were fortunate enough to be invited on a trip to see the working distilleries of Balblair, Knockdhu (where An Cnoc whisky is made) and Old Pulteney. What made this trip slightly different from many others that we’ve been on over the years is that it was an all-expenses paid trip organised solely for whisky bloggers.

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Competitions Whisky

Win a Year’s Supply of Whisky

Master of Malt

November 15, 2010 11:30 am

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We’re offering five of you a year’s supply of whisky… It sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? Well, it’s real, so get used to it! “What does this…

We’re offering five of you a year’s supply of whisky…

It sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? Well, it’s real, so get used to it!

“What does this mean, will things ever be the same again?”

This is the most awesome thing ever, it changes everything.

To enter this phenomenal competition, all you need to do is buy one of our cracking new dram sets. There are 24 different dram sets to choose from, and each contains 5 delicious 3cl samples (beautifully labelled and wax-dipped). We’ve also taken the liberty of tasting every different whisky and writing detailed tasting notes which we’ve included in the sets for your supping pleasure.

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Whisky

Our Movember Whisky gets a Pop Art Twist

Master of Malt

November 8, 2010 12:42 pm

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Everyone knows the mighty moustache is the greatest bastion of masculinity; it’s a symbol of true manhood. Once a year, the chaps in the Master of Malt offices are granted…

Everyone knows the mighty moustache is the greatest bastion of masculinity; it’s a symbol of true manhood. Once a year, the chaps in the Master of Malt offices are granted the tremendous opportunity of being able to relentlessly rip on the one or two gentlemen incapable of growing anything more than a bumfluffy disgrace, all thanks to Movember.

(The writer of this post is sporting a handsome development, even after just a few days of growth…)

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the name of the game…

Movember (the name is a portmanteau of “Moustache” and “November”) was founded in 2004 as a charity which raises awareness and money for various men’s health issues. It’s also a perfect trump card for our anti-tache other halves because, at the beginning of November every year, men must shave, then grow a moustache for the duration of the month, in order to spread the word of a very good cause.

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News Scotch Whisky Tasting Notes Whisky

Glengoyne English Merchant’s Choice Review

Master of Malt

October 27, 2010 4:54 pm

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Earlier this year we flew up to Glengoyne to help select a very special cask for bottling. The cask would be chosen by the great and the good from England’s…

Earlier this year we flew up to Glengoyne to help select a very special cask for bottling. The cask would be chosen by the great and the good from England’s whisky retailers, and we’ve been very excited to announce it is now in stock!

Sample after sample were tried until the very best cask was found – it’s a hard life, that of the whisky merchant ;-). Pleasingly, it’s a very, very dark little scotch whisky, thanks mainly to the sherry hoggie it was matured in. The beautiful bottles arrived yesterday, and the packaging is rather handsome – wooden and very smart.

The whisky was distilled on the 17th June 1997, and, of course, it’s bottled at cask strength (bottled on the 20th May 2010 at 13 years of age). We uncorked a bottle to recount just how wonderful it is…

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News Whisky

The Dalmore Trinitas

Master of Malt

October 19, 2010 12:36 pm

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How does it make you feel? A robin and a magpie were perched on a windowsill at Master of Malt Advanced Base Camp 1. They peered in inquisitively and, by…

How does it make you feel?

A robin and a magpie were perched on a windowsill at Master of Malt Advanced Base Camp 1. They peered in inquisitively and, by chance, happened to see an email from The Dalmore on someone’s screen, after several attempts to open the email and a quick rebooting (why would anyone unleash a travesty like Outlook on the world?).

Anyway, the email advertised a rather unusual, groundbreaking bottle of Scotch whisky, a bottle known as “Trinitas”. Aside from its age (64 years), its handsome packaging and rarity (there are but three bottles in the world), Trinitas has one overriding talking point; it’s £100,000 a bottle…

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Whisky

Maltstock 2010 Whisky Festival – A Review

Ben Ellefsen

October 1, 2010 4:38 pm

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In one word? Awesome. You want more than that you say? It’s kind of hard to know where to begin. The events of the weekend before last have all converged…

In one word? Awesome.

You want more than that you say?

It’s kind of hard to know where to begin. The events of the weekend before last have all converged into a bit of a blur. Not so much because of the alcohol, but rather the simply dizzying array of tastings, masterclasses, quizzes, meals and world-class whiskies which were thrust upon us over the course of the weekend… yet with all the activity, we came away feeling really rather impressed at just how relaxed and informal the weekend managed to be.

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Master of Malt Blog