Monkey Shoulder is a blended malt whisky from William Grant & Sons. A blended malt is one that contains only single malts, compared to a blend which contains single grain whisky as well. Monkey Shoulder contains whisky from each of Grant’s three Speyside distilleries – Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie. The three monkeys on the bottle represent these three distilleries. It is one of the best selling Scotch blended malts in the world. It is bottled at 40% ABV and should cost around £30 a bottle.
Whilst Glenfiddich and Balvenie are both world famous, few have heard of or know much about Kininvie. There are very few bottlings released under the distillery name. Kininvie was founded in 1990 by William Grant & Sons. It sits between the Balvenie and Glenfiddich distilleries on the edge of Dufftown in Speyside. It was built with the function of producing whisky to be used in the popular Grant’s blended whisky range. The idea being to then free up more Glenfiddich and Balvenie to be released as single malts. Kininvie is now the major contributing malt whisky to Monkey Shoulder.
The term ‘Monkey Shoulder’ refers to an affliction that used to strike down distillery workers in the past. Balvenie is one of the few remaining distilleries in Scotland to have its own malting floor. The barley is soaked in water, drained and then left for a week to germinate. This naturally turns the starch in the barley to sugar, which in turn gets turned into alcohol. To ensure an even germination, the barley must be turned regularly by hand. The repetition of doing this over many years led the distillery workers to develop a ‘Monkey Shoulder’. This is similar to other repetitive strain injuries such as tennis elbow.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is golden amber and the nose is sweet, fruity and malty. Aromas of vanilla fudge, honey and some crisp fresh fruit. This is reminiscent of green apple and pear. Some brown sugar and malted biscuit aromas sit underneath. Hints of nutmeg and pineapple are also detected.
On the palate this whisky feels very sugary and malty. It has a creamy softness on the tastebuds. Caramel, toffee and muscovado sugar lead the way and are supported by some robust malt and milk chocolate. The maltiness evolves and threatens to dominate, but is kept in check by a big note of crisp green apple. Some vanilla and sultana also come through well. Hints of gingerbread and cocoa powder add a little depth, as does a late note of burnt orange peel and maraschino cherry.
The finish is relatively short and dials up some peppery heat. The sugary sweetness fades rapidly and this allows some oaky and warming spices to show themselves. Think of white pepper, clove and a scratch of nutmeg.
What’s The Verdict?
Monkey Shoulder is a super flexible whisky. It is mainly marketed at the younger whisky drinker and the bar trade, who are encouraged to drink it with a mixer or as part of a cocktail. The sweetness and chocolatey malt will make it stand out when mixed. It is great whisky to use as such. We urge you to get creative if you have a bottle.
The branding is also impressive and they run immersive events around the world. Alternatively, check out monkeyshoulder.com. It is the whisky that reintroduced the blended malt category of Scotch whisky to a wider audience. And we should all be thankful for that.
