Those big flavors that are front and center when you drink it neat are present and correct on the rocks too. On The Rocks Monkey ShoulderĪdding some ice demonstrates exactly how balanced Monkey Shoulder is. It’s clearly shooting for a broad appeal, and it hits that mark perfectly. The mouthfeel is satisfying, with a gentle oiliness and medium weight. Finish is of a medium-short length that dies down to an appealing, earthy and grassy aftertaste. In terms of finish and mouthfeel, Monkey Shoulder sits in the middle of the field. Monkey Shoulder, as you would expect from an expertly blended product from a distillery of such quality, is a deeply satisfying drink that’s brilliantly balanced, and all of these flavor notes work together to make for a whisky that’s very easy drinking. On the palate, neat Monkey Shoulder is full of notes of honey, caramel, malt, some grassy and fruity tones, and a fair amount of vanilla. In combination with the malt undertones, this gives a nose that’s reminiscent of Earl Grey tea. There’s little to nothing in the way of oak notes on the nose, but there is a pronounced citrus scent that leans towards the sweet, orangey end of the spectrum. The malt characteristics of this whisky come through strongly, with a scent that’s almost heading for beer territory. When you pour yourself a glass of Monkey Shoulder, you’re met with a nose that’s quite distinctive. That flavor profile is a very appealing one. It’s also not a geographically tied whisky, so rather than giving you the distinct flavor of an Islay or Highlands whisky, it’s giving you the specific flavor profile of Monkey Shoulder. That makes some sense with a product like Monkey Shoulder though, because it is being blended to deliver a certain flavor experience to you as a drinker rather than aiming to showcase a particular year or to deliver characteristics of a particular length of ageing. It still states that it is a blend of three spirits, and they’ll be William Grant and Sons products, but what exact whiskys they are isn’t clear.Īs a result, details of the whisky such as age are not forthcoming! However, due to demand and the difficulty of maintaining this pipeline of the three whiskys, Monkey Shoulder now doesn’t specify which whiskys it is a blend of. Monkey Shoulder originated as a blend of three of the Grant family’s best malts, drawing from Kinnivie, Glenfiddich, and Balvenie to create its signature profile. It has a lot to offer for drinkers of all stripes. People are used to looking for blended whisky or malt, but not the two together.Ĭonfusion aside, Monkey Shoulder is a fantastic blended malt whisky that is well deserving of your time.Ī product of William Grant and Sons, the distillers behind Glenfiddich and Balvenie and one of the very few major Scottish whisky distillers still in family hands, Monkey Shoulder has a grand pedigree.įar from the concept of a blended whisky being a lower-tier offering, Monkey Shoulder was developed as a premium whisky that was also accessible and enjoyable outside serious whisky appreciation circles. Perhaps the specificity of the name is confusing to customers. Everyone knows about blended scotch, where stalwarts like Johnny Walker and Grants are easily available and have held their place on people’s bars for years and years. Blended malt whiskys are a bit of a curate’s egg in the world of spirits.
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