Adam O'Connell
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Articles by Adam O'Connell
10 Super Spooky Halloween Spirits!
Whether you’re attending a party full of deadly debauchery or spending a quiet night at home treating yourself, we’ve got 10 of the best super spooky Halloween spirits listed right here. Costume? Check. Decorations? Check. Carved pumpkin you’ll forget to throw away until it’s a rancid puddle attracting half the neighbourhood’s wildlife? Check. It sounds like you’ve got everything you need to celebrate another All Hallows’ Eve. Everything apart from some delicious drinks, of course.
Halloween Cocktail Recipes You Will Die For
These are our picks for the best Halloween cocktail recipes in 2026. Serve that raise spirits, literally. If there’s ever a time to get a little theatrical with your drinks, it’s Halloween. Forget the plastic fangs and glow sticks, this is about cocktails with real bite. From skull-adorned Tequila tipples to smoky whisky sours that look like they’ve been conjured in a cauldron, these Halloween serves are equal parts spooky and sophisticated.
Midleton Very Rare Chestnut Edition: Seeing the Wood For the Trees
Midleton Very Rare Irish Chestnut Edition is here. The distillery describes it as the first whiskey to be released that was matured in casks made from Irish-grown sweet chestnut. It’s the culmination of a project nearly a decade in the making from Irish Distillers, Midleton Distillery’s owners, which began with six trees from Cappoquin Estate in County Waterford. Those trees yielded 41 casks, in which the single pot still Irish whiskey selected for this release spent a further five years.
Arbikie The Signature Review: Was It Worth the Wait?
Arbikie The Signature is here. Or, to give the whisky its full title (at least on this site), Arbikie Single Malt Whisky – The Signature (First Release). We’ve had plenty of Scotch whisky category-shaking rye from Arbikie, but this is its first single malt. And Arbikie 10 Year Old The Signature boasts the lot. Provenance. Terroir. Heritage. We are playing whisky nerd bingo and Arbikie is one numbered ball away from a full house. Naturally, that creates expectations.
Staff Favourites We Think You’ll Love!
Here at MoM Towers, we’ve spent plenty of time tasting, sampling, and mixing our way through some of the world’s finest drinks over the years, so naturally, we develop staff favourites. We could be all selfish and keep our thoughts to ourselves. Or we could pass on our knowledge and share our passion with you lovely people. We thought it would be fun to round up some staff standouts and recommend them to you. We’d also love to hear from you! Suggest your favourites in the comments below.
How Tall are Glenmorangie’s Stills?
The pot stills at Glenmorangie Distillery are 5.14 metres tall. That’s 16 feet, 10 inches. Or, the average length of a fully grown giraffe🦒, so they say. At that height, they are the tallest pot stills in Scotch whisky, and one of the largest in the world. They’re quite a spectacle, and they also significantly contribute to the flavour of the whisky. Installed in the 1840s, they were originally second-hand gin stills.
10 Whiskies To Put On Your Whisky Radar
The Whisky Radar would be a great gadget, wouldn’t it? Maybe it’s an app. Cool new whisky appears on the scene, you get a ping, and you’re adding it to your basket before you can say “non-chill-filtered”. Seeing as The Whisky Radar doesn’t exist (trademarking it ), you’ll have to settle for yours truly helping out. It’s Whisky Show season, which means big releases are coming thick and fast. The Whisky Radar would be pinging all over the place if it was real.
Win Whisky with an Angus Dundee #BagThisBundle
How would you like to win a bundle of Angus Dundee whisky in exchange for a couple of clicks? That’s what this competition offers. See for yourself.
The Distillers Behind Torabhaig The Distillers’ Series
Torabhaig The Distillers’ Series launched recently with two whiskies: Torabhaig Distillers’ Series Niall’s First Edition 70cl Whisky. Torabhaig Distillers’ Series Iona’s First Edition 70cl. We met with Iona Macphie and Niall Culbertson, the Torabhaig distillers given the freedom to create their own whiskies. Iona used unpeated barley with 10% chocolate malt, then turned to well-used sherry casks to protect the spirit she had made.
Tasting the Last Talisker of Gordon and MacPhail
Gordon & MacPhail‘s last Talisker is in our tasting glass. It’s a 39-year-old single cask from 1987. More importantly, it is a handsome bastard. Old whisky carries a particular anxiety. Age is a tricky old thing, isn’t it, dear reader? Casks care little for reverence or retail pricing. What if it’s rubbish? What if you left your spirit in a vessel for so long it emerges tasting like antique furniture dissolved in tea? And who is going to tell you?
West of Tradition: The Story of American Single Malt
West of Tradition is a new documentary following the people who helped turn American single malt from a collection of individual ambitions into a formally recognised whiskey category. Seattle’s Westland Distillery provides the central thread, but the film’s scope stretches across the country. It features Whisky Del Bac in Arizona, McCarthy’s in Oregon, Stranahan’s in Colorado, St. George Spirits in California, Cedar Ridge in Iowa, and Virginia Distilling Company in Virginia.
Win a Trip to Tobermory for the West Highland Whisky Festival!
Win a trip to Tobermory, wouldn’t you like to go? Win a trip to Tobermory, it’s the (West) Highland Whisky Show! Tobermory Distillery is on Mull, where they film Balamory. Remember, that kids TV show with all the colourful houses? Yeah. You basically need to get that reference for the opening of this article to make sense. Because it’s a tease of what’s to come set to the Balamory theme tune. A joke shouldn’t need this much explaining. It’s also actually not very good on reflection.
Dos Maderas: What Happens When Sherry Makers Make Rum?
Dos Maderas is a line of rum from a sherry bodega. There are plenty of rums finished in a sherry cask. Some good, some less so. But the question here is not simply what sherry wood can do to rum. It is what happens when people who have spent generations making sherry turn their attention to rum. Williams & Humbert was founded in Jerez in 1877.
Lisa Matthews Becomes Bruichladdich’s First Woman Distiller
Lisa Matthews has been unveiled as Bruichladdich’s first woman distiller. The whisky and brewing specialist and Islay local began her career as a tour guide at the distillery and now returns after more than a decade to join the production team as an assistant blender and distiller. Matthews became Scotland’s youngest female brewer before gaining production experience at Stirling, Ardgowan, Caol Ila, and Port Ellen distilleries.
Ardbeg Trudernish: 15yo Joins Core Range
We’ve got some exciting Ardbeg news for you today with the launch of a new permanent addition to the core range: Ardbeg Trudernish. Ardbeg Trudernish is the distillery’s first permanent 15-year-old single malt. The whisky promises a creamier, more composed take on Ardbeg’s unmistakably smoky character thanks to a bourbon cask-led profile. Trudernish has already received a Double Gold award at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2026.
Trump Says He Will Scrap US Tariffs on Irish Whiskey
Donald Trump has announced that US tariffs on Irish whiskey will be scrapped, following months of pressure from the Irish government and drinks industry. The US president made the announcement during the trophy presentation at the Irish Open, held at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg, County Clare.
The CaskCade Collection Has Spawned. Collect. Play. Pour. Win.
The CaskCade Collection is here. It’s National Gaming Day today and we’re calling all whisky and rum drinkers. And retro gaming enthusiasts. Also Millennials and Gen X gamers with nostalgia for classic arcade fun. This one’s for you. A new range of limited-edition bottles that pairs a fine spirits with a legendary retro arcade game through bespoke label artwork. You can also play some Space Invaders and win the whole collection. And when you buy a bottle you might win a Space Invaders arcarde machine.
Top 7 New Whisky Arrivals You Need To Try
A fresh batch of new whisky arrivals has landed at MoM Towers, spanning everyday favourites, heavily peated Islay single malt and a pair of properly old rarities. Here are seven newbies worth investigating. Top 7 new whisky arrivals you need to try Flavour Profile: Dark brown sugar, grilled peaches, mixed berries and warming spice Distillery Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA Why It’s Worth Trying: This is the first bourbon to join the core range from Maryland’s Sagamore Spirit.
Mystery Drop 3.0
We did Mystery Drop 1: Episode IV – A New Hope. Then we did 2 Mystery 2 Drop. Now we’re back with Mystery Drop: First Blood Part III. Yes, the Mystery Drop has become a triology, the best since Toy Story, which only has three films. No more. Anyway, popular demand means we’re giving you another chance to play. This time we’ve got a whole new selection of whiskies you can bag, and a lowest ever entry fee. There really is no excuse not to get involved. Get yours now.
Win Benromach 50 Year Old to Mark Benromach 12 Years Old Launch
Benromach Distillery has a new flagship expression: Benromach 12 Years Old. Matured exclusively in first-fill sherry casks, Benromach 12 joins the distillery’s signature range alongside the 15 and 21 Years Old. The new release offers a window into the distillery and its workings, which we’ll touch in this article. But first, let’s talk about how buying a bottle might mean you win some really old Benromach. Like Benromach 50 Years Old. And Benromach 40 Years Old.
Celebrate 200 Years of The Glendronach by Winning a Two Night VIP Trip
200 Years of The Glendronach. Wow. That’s a big deal. And you cannot mark two centuries of lovely Highland whisky with a Colin the Caterpillar Cake (apparently). So, we are giving one winner and a guest the chance to visit the distillery itself instead.
Whisky barrel bought for £130 goes on sale at £270k
A whisky barrel bought for £130 will go on sale for £270,000. And hilariously, the guy who bought it doesn’t even really like whisky. “I don’t drink Scotch,” says Surrey pensioner Angus Kerr. “If I did, I would be looking around for something that was £18, no more. That’s my sort of level.” Yet he bought the Glenrothes single malt in 1971 as an investment, hoping it would help pay for his children’s school fees. A barrel that is said to be the oldest of its kind known to be in existence.
World’s Largest Johnnie Walker Whisky Collection Goes To Auction
Alert to all whisky collectors: the world’s largest Johnnie Walker whisky collection is going to to auction. Whisky Auctioneer will hold a landmark sale this September featuring the most comprehensive collection of the world’s best selling whisky ever brought to auction. It’s a big sale, yes, but also an opportunity to explore the history of Johnnie Walker through 1,600 full-size bottles, over 600 miniatures, and more than 1,000 original pieces of advertising and memorabilia.
Tanduay: How Can the Bestselling Rum in the World Still Need Introducing?
Tanduay sells more rum than Bacardi. But does the average person in the UK know them? Ask your friends. Heck, ask a reasonably committed British rum drinker about Tanduay. What it tastes like, where it is made, even how to pronounce it (tan-DOO-eye), and there is a decent chance you will be met with silence. The numbers are unambiguous. Drinks International’s 2026 Millionaires’ Club records Tanduay sales of 23.2 million nine-litre cases in 2025.
3 of the Best Oloroso Whiskies to Try for 2026
Here are 3 of the best Oloroso Whiskies to try for 2026. Oloroso sherry casks have become a cornerstone of whisky maturation, prized for the rich, bold flavours they impart to the spirit. Here’s a closer look at three whiskies that showcase the magic of maturation, perfect for exploring the oloroso style. Oloroso sherry is a dry, oxidatively aged fortified wine from Spain’s Jerez region. It’s known for its intense flavours of dried fruits, toasted nuts, and a hint of leather.
Can Ardray Make Blended Scotch Cool Again?
Ardray was launched in June 2023 by Suntory Global Spirits with a brief: celebrate blended Scotch. And restore a litte credibility. “For a while, blended Scotch simply wasn’t considered cool,” says Suntory portfolio brand ambassador Stephanie Peck. “People began to see it as an inferior category, which is a real shame because it can be delicious.” As Peck says at the tasting she was hosting, blends put Scotch whisky on the global map.
A 7-year-old Glen Scotia: The Best Scotch in the World?
Is the World’s Best Scotch really a seven-year-old Glen Scotia? Well, Glen Scotia Campbeltown Malts Festival 2026 Release has been named Scotch Whisky Taste Master at The Scotch Whisky Masters 2026. Put down the age statement calculator. One of the biggest whisky winners of 2026 is seven years old and costs considerably less than a second-hand hatchback. We should apply the usual asterisk here. No competition can objectively identify the best whisky in the world.
10 Trend-Setting Whiskies You Need to Try
Trying to identify the next trend-setting whiskies is a long game. While each year is finally The Year Of rum, Cognac, mezcal… whisky trends develop over time, much like the spirit itself. A few distillers start smoking grain with something other than peat. Drinkers begin asking about fermentation, yeast and barley varieties. Blenders become interesting again. You blink and suddenly what looked like one producer mucking about has become an entire shelf in the shop.
Bruichladdich Greener Still: By Name, and By Nature
Bruichladdich continues to roll out the anniversary presents with Bruichladdich Greener Still. The 15-year-old single malt Scotch whisky was created to mark 25 years since the Hebridean distillery’s resurrection, joining Bruichladdich Old Skool and Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III which were released earlier this year. It also pays homage to an infamous single malt series in the Islay distillery’s recent history.
Meet Wylye Distillery: The English Whisky You Don’t Know, But Soon Will
For the past three years, Sam Barber has spent his working week at Wylye Distillery making whisky. Not gin or vodka while the spirit matures. There’s no cask ownership scheme. Just whisky. Quite a fair amount of English whisky for a guy working out of a converted Wiltshire farmyard. Barber built the equipment, secured the barley, established the process and filled the warehouse before making any meaningful movement to tell the world what he’s been up to.
Kythe Distillery Has Begun Distilling
Some welcome news hit our inbox today: Kythe Distillery officially began making whisky on 2 July 2026. The newsletter records this emotional milestone as arriving after a long and “meticulous period of planning, testing, recalibrating, testing again, and occasionally wondering whether every pipe, valve and cable had developed a personality of its own”. It goes on to say: “What began as an idea, a plan and a considerable amount of determination is now flowing through our stills as real spirit.
Our Whisky Championships 2026 Is Here!
The Whisky Championships 2026 is here. We’re back, inviting YOU to crown the ultimate distillery. This isn’t a tasting panel or a judges’ roundtable. You can’t pay to enter. Contenders are welcome to promote themselves (the more shameless, the better tbh), but everyone is here because they deserve to be. Ultimately, it’s a popularity contest. Pure, undiluted, glorious, tragic, flawed, whisky-fuelled democracy. The Whisky Championships 2026 is here! The format’s simple: We begin with 32 contenders.
Top 10: Best New Releases in July
There were so many fine new releases in July it was actually quite difficult to narrow down just 10. Tormore was a big one, but we covered that on this here blog already.
Darkness Whisky Returns with 10 New Limited Edition Bottlings
Darkness Whisky is back, bringing with it 10 (ten!) new limited edition Scotch whiskies and a tasting set containing the entire collection. The independent bottler has built its reputation on giving whiskies an additional maturation in specially coopered 64-litre sherry octave casks. This latest batch spans youthful peated malts, mature single grain, weighty Speyside spirit, and a gloriously smoky 25-year-old Ledaig.
Zacal Mezcal: Beyond Oaxaca
Zacal is a mezcal brand founded by four friends, Phil Clayton, Ian McCaig, Cri Osborne and Andrew Maidment, in partnership with third-generation mezcalero Milton Román Ochoa Corona. Two bottlings have been released so far: Manso Sahuayo, a delicate, single-varietal mezcal bottled at 45% ABV, and Manso Sahuayo y Bruto Ensamble, a complex blend of two agave distillates at 50% ABV. It hails from Michoacán, Mexico. Not Oaxaca.
What Is A Teaspoon Whisky?
Are you familiar with teaspoon whisky? No, not a cocktail recipe, but one of Scotch whisky’s most delightfully petty secrets. It goes like this: take a single malt, add a literal teaspoon of another distillery’s whisky, and legally, you can no longer call it a single malt. Why do this? Because distilleries don’t always want their names attached to indie bottlings, especially if those bottlings are cheaper, older, or better than their official releases.
Lancaster Spirits Co. Steps Into Peat Before It’s Released Whisky
Lancaster Spirits Co. has not released its first single malt whisky yet. It’s not expected to reach the market until 2027. That is not stopping it from planning the next one. The young English distillery has begun a limited peated spirit trial, its first move into smoky, phenolic whisky-making. Over four weeks in 2026, it will fill just 20 first-fill bourbon barrels using peated malt from Crisp Maltings, starting at 50 PPM. This is not an attempt to build a little Islay in Lancashire.
Old Pulteney at 200: The Whisky That Belongs to Wick
Old Pulteney is now 200 years old. I recently went to Wick, Caithness to see the whisky distillery and take in the local sights. Because you can’t understand Pulteney without seeing Wick. The classic image of a Scotch whisky distillery is a valley, a river, fields of barley doing their golden shimmer for the brochure. Pulteney is not that.
Distilleries We Really Bloody Like: Thomson Distillery
We got a couple of new arrivals from Thomson Distillery recently and it reminded me that I wanted to talk about this whisky maker for a while now. Partly because New Zealand whisky deserves more attention, and Thomson Distillery is a very good place to start. Also because, if you can’t talk about whisky you like, then you’re doing a whisky blog wrong, aren’t you? So here’s the first instalment in a series where I showcase distilleries that I think are cool.
What is a Craft Spirit? The ACSA Thinks It Has the Answer
What is a craft spirit? The American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) reckons it has an answer. It has unveiled a new Certified Craft Seal, a TTB-approved certification mark intended to help drinkers identify spirits produced by independent American craft distilleries. In short: it’s given “craft spirits” an official badge. The ACSA wants to define what a craft spirit is The issue isn’t that “craft spirits” don’t exist.
Gordon & MacPhail & Sir Kenny Dalglish Present Vintage Moments
Whisky specialist Gordon & MacPhail is set to release the first in its unique series of Vintage Moments and the inaugural set celebrates a Scottish football legend, Sir Kenny Dalglish. The unique box sets of five ultra-rare single malt Scotch whiskies was distilled in years that correspond with key life and career milestones.
Win a Trip to Highland Park Distillery!
Who wants to win a trip to Highland Park Distillery? There are worse ways to spend a few days than drinking smoky whisky on a windswept island at the edge of the North Sea. Much worse. You could be replying to emails. You could be assembling flat-pack furniture. You could be pretending to enjoy a pub quiz hosted by a man with an keytar. Wait, is that kinda awesome? Regardless, Highland Park wants to send one lucky winner and a guest to Orkney to experience the distillery properly.
Dave Broom and The Japanese Way of Whisky
Whisky writer Dave Broom joins us on the Master of Malt blog to talk about the new edition of The Japanese Way of Whisky: Japan’s whiskies and how to enjoy them. When we discuss Japanese whisky in 2026, we tend to talk about price, scarcity, and the latest lottery release. In both the original book, published in 2017, and the update released at the end of 2025, Broom would rather talk about Japan itself. The people. Concepts, cultures, and cuisines.
Woven Announce Blending Rooms Where Guests Become Whisky Makers
Woven Whisky is announcing plans to launch a major new whisky blending facility in Leith, with a hands-on Blending Rooms experience. The independent whisky makers’ dedicated whisky blending visitor destination aims to open up the world of whisky blending to the public.
The Making of Star Hill Farm 2026 Release
It’s Whisky of the Week time and our sights are firmly on Maker’s Mark and the second release of Star Hill Farm Whisky. Yes, Star Hill Farm 2026 Release is here and it doubles down on what made last year’s debut interesting in the first place: wheat, and lots of it, by golly. Let’s get one thing straight first. This. Isn’t. Bourbon. Rob Samuels, eighth-generation whisky maker and managing director of Maker’s Mark, conceived of the idea in 2016. At the time, the rye revolution was just getting started.
Meeting Mr Paul John: The Man Who Helped Indian Whisky Grow Up
Recently, the Paul John Indian Whisky founder Mr Paul P. John was in London. I got the chance to talk to him. Naturally, I took it. Our conversation isn’t focused on the usual “India is an emerging whisky nation” framing because that story is already old. Indian single malt whisky now sells greater volumes domestically than imported malts in India. Distilleries are winning major global awards with alarming regularity. Drinkers aren’t buying Indian whisky as a novelty anymore either.
GlenAllachie 11 Year Old Palo Cortado Sherry Cask Finish Review
Our Whisky of the Week is GlenAllachie 11 Year Old Palo Cortado Sherry Cask Finish. Or, to give its full title: GlenAllachie 11 Year Old Palo Cortado Sherry Cask Finish – The Wood Collection 70cl Whisky. A mouthful, sure. Whisky has always loved a subtitle. Particularly modern Scotch, where half of bottles sound like a prog rock album. Despite the naming clutter, this one is pretty straightforward. GlenAllachie meets Palo Cortado. Kinda says it all.
Illicit Whisky Still Found After 200 Years
Exciting news for nerds of whisky and history (it can’t just be me), as archaeologists have found an illicit whisky still that was likely hidden for over two centuries. The team unearthed part of an illicit still used to make whisky in a remote gully, as well as stones and a timber post of the small building (called a bothy) that once housed the equipment.
Glen Scotia Adds New Whisky Festival To Luss
Glen Scotia is spreading the vibes this May by bringing a new two-day whisky festival to Luss Distillery. The Campbeltown distillery is introducing the ‘Glen Scotia Mini Malts Festival’ to the agenda alongside the annual Campbeltown Malts Festival. Held from 16–17 May, it’s a smaller, more intimate counterpart to the established fixture in the global whisky calendar.
The Dalmore Distillery Tour Reimagined: The Last Distillery Tour
The Dalmore distillery tour has changed. Reopening its doors for the first time after COVID, the Highlanders are not presenting a shinier version of the same old distillery tour. We paid a visit to find out what that means last week. What they’ve built isn’t a visitor centre in the usual sense. There’s no conveyor belt of wide-eyed groups being shuffled from mash tun to gift shop. It’s slower than that. Controlled. Private. More akin to what Brora offers. You don’t book a slot, you arrange a visit.
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