Adam O'connell

About

I’ve worked in drinks for over seven years, contributing over 800 features to Master of Malt’s award-winning online blog. I'm also responsible for copywriting for the site, providing social media content, writing product reviews, contributing to campaign strategy, assisting with NPD and branding, implementing SEO strategy, and editing. In my time at Master of Malt, I’ve toured distilleries, wineries, and breweries across the world, attended many events, interviewed numerous significant figures within the industry, and reviewed a variety of whiskies, gins, rums, Tequilas, mezcals, brandies, vodkas, wines, beers, cocktails and more. I've also judged the Nikka Perfect Serve Final, Drinks International's The World’s Most Admired Whiskey, and the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards 2024 and 2025. Since August 2024, I have contributed articles to the Whisk(e)y Wash, providing in-depth guides to popular whiskies. I graduated from the University of Sussex with a BA in History and an MA in Intellectual History, which came in handy when I went on to work as a bartender. There I made a name for himself as the person who wouldn’t shut up about how much he liked whisky. I subsequently joined Master of Malt as a writer in 2017, where I was encouraged to talk about how much I liked whisky. I passed the WSET Level 2 Award in Spirits with Distinction. I also completed a formal education in the Introduction to Editorial Skills course that The Publishing Training Centre offers. I have been part of a team that has been awarded Winner of Best Blog at the UK Social Media Communication Awards 2018 and In-House Team of the Year at the UK Digital Growth Awards 2019.