Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Whisky

Aroma: In addition to grated orange peel, malt, and floral notes, vanilla, honey, and dark chocolate with a hint of pepper emerge.

Taste: Seductive vanilla, caramel, and bright fruits play with spices like nutmeg and green pepper, as well as fresh citrus notes.

Finish: Pleasantly soft and spicy, the aromas linger on the palate, leaving a hint of mint.

This blended malt whisky from William Grant & Sons (Glenfiddich and Balvenie) is an absolute value-for-money hit! With around 90% Kininvie single malt content, this is one of the few opportunities to get to know this whisky at an affordable price, as it is otherwise only used for classic blends or very, very expensive single malt bottlings.

The origin of 'Monkey Shoulder': The term 'Monkey Shoulder' comes from the whisky's production history. In earlier times, malt was still turned by hand, which, due to the extremely long shifts, led many of these workers to develop hanging arms and a slight hunch, reminiscent of the appearance of a monkey. Today, working conditions have certainly improved, and the name 'Monkey Shoulder' is used only in honor of the former 'Malt Men'. The designation Batch 27 merely means that the whisky is produced in small batches of 27 casks each and does not indicate that it is the 27th bottling.

The origin: Unlike other blended malts, it is predominantly known which whiskies are included in Monkey Shoulder. Since the brand is owned by William Grant & Sons, only malts from three different distilleries can be included. Thus, the company is the third-largest whisky producer (after the acquisition of Beam Inc. by Suntory, the fourth largest), but does this with only five distilleries: Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Kininvie, Ailsa Bay, and Girvan (Grain). While the first two are certainly familiar to you, the third might be a bit more challenging. William Grant & Sons established this distillery in 1990 on the grounds of the Balvenie distillery to meet the growing demand for their blended Scotch 'Grant's'. Kininvie has its own building with copper pot stills, but lacks the necessary mash tuns to produce the whisky's precursor. These are shared with Balvenie, and some say Kininvie is not a 'real' distillery. Nevertheless, the various stills of Kininvie produce different whiskies that are ideal for meeting the diversity of blends.

Rare component: Since previous bottlings of Kininvie are quite expensive, not many whisky fans have likely tried this distillery. However, since 2005, there has been Monkey Shoulder, which contains about 90% Kininvie whisky and can thus provide a good impression of the character of the distillery. Additionally, small portions of Glenfiddich and Balvenie are included, which are all blended together for 3 to 6 months in 1st-fill ex-bourbon casks.

Conclusion: Monkey Shoulder is an absolute premium blended malt and offers a top price-performance ratio. For every Glenfiddich and Balvenie fan who wants to get an impression of the silent third in the house of William Grant & Sons, it is an absolute must. But even those simply looking for a good and affordable malt for a pleasant evening will find themselves well with Monkey Shoulder.