Adam O'Connell

1 week ago | masterofmalt.com | Adam O'Connell

Something is stirring south of the border, and no, it’s not just a mild sense of rivalry. English whisky is on the rise, with a new generation of distillers crafting bold, expressive single malts and ryes that aren’t trying to be Scotch, but might just impress the socks off Scotch drinkers. Fancy seeing what England’s whisky makers are up to in person? Buy any bottle from the range below and you’ll be entered into our prize draw to win 1 of 3 pairs of tickets to the English Whisky Festival.

1 week ago | masterofmalt.com | Adam O'Connell

Havana Club Tributo 2025 is Cuban rum meets Irish whiskey. Not for some saccharine tale of star-crossed spirits finding each other across a crowded bar. But because it makes sense. They’ve got shared scars, shared pride, and (when handled right) a shared potential to produce something brilliant. For this year’s Tributo release, the eighth instalment in the series, the rum giant teamed up with Redbreast. You know, the Irish whiskey with more awards than shelf space.

2 weeks ago | masterofmalt.com | Adam O'Connell

Glen Grant is a whisky distillery in Rothes, Speyside. It was founded in 1840. It’s one of the world’s best-selling single malt Scotch whiskies. It was a brand before brands existed, its reach spanning from Africa to Australia before most people had even heard of single malt. Yet, for all its international swagger, it’s the unassuming clarity of Glen Grant’s spirit that endures. It’s light without being slight, delicate without being dull, and fresh as a Speyside spring.

2 weeks ago | masterofmalt.com | Adam O'Connell

Sometimes Mondays aren’t so bad. Yesterday, I headed to a tasting of The Singleton’s new Gourmand Collection at No. 41 Burlington Arcade, Mayfair, upstairs in the boutique and tasting rooms of Justerini & Brooks – above a whisky room casually housing the likes of Mortlach 50 and Johnnie Walker King George V. Just your usual Monday surroundings. We’re in deep luxury whisky territory here.

2 weeks ago | masterofmalt.com | Adam O'Connell

Here’s our Top 10 Gins for the ultimate Martini. Purchase by clicking on the links in the product’s name. Got any suggestions? Leave them in the comments below. There’s an old joke that if you’re stranded on a desert island, you should loudly announce, “I know how to make the best Martini”, and somebody will emerge from nowhere just to disagree with you. Yes, it’s the cocktail immortalised by Bond, dissected by bartenders, and butchered by many a home mixologist: The Martini.