Monkey Shoulder is a blended malt Scotch whisky from William Grant & Sons, crafted using single malts from Glenfiddich, Balvenie, and Kininvie—no grain whisky in sight. First launched in 2003 as a bartender-friendly alternative to traditional blends, it was aged in first-fill bourbon barrels and blended in small batches to create a smooth, versatile profile ideal for cocktails.
With bold branding that broke away from Scotch’s stuffy image, it became a trailblazer in the early 2000s whisky renaissance. Since then, it’s expanded with variants like Smokey Monkey and Fresh Monkey, keeping the brand fresh and relevant.
Designed for mixing, Monkey Shoulder enhances classic whisky cocktails (where it really excels) like an Old Fashioned or a Whisky Sour. If you're after a whisky that's fun, full of flavour, and has a bit of history behind it, then pick up a bottle of Monkey Shoulder. You won't be disappointed!
Its quirky name nods to a repetitive strain injury once suffered by maltmen turning barley by hand.
An elegant, stylish nose of marmalade, Crema Catalana (apologies, but it really is there), cocoa and malt. Plenty of vanilla and a sprinkling of winter spice (nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon) alongside a mouth-watering hint of aniseed.
Very malty, creamy delivery with a suggestion of berry fruit. Juicy toasted barley, cloves and butterscotch. Manuka honey, hot-buttered-toast and dried apricot develop.
Medium length, spicy oak and a hint of peppermint on the tail.
This is whisky to be enjoyed. According to the Monkey Shoulder website: "Some say it tastes just like riding bareback on the wild moors of Scotland with a flame-haired maiden on Christmas morning. Others agree it tastes like 007 wearing a tuxedo wetsuit."
A nice everyday whiskey. Huge aroma of banana cake (after coming to it from an Islay), and sweet on the palate, just about kept in place by more of that banana taste. Unchallenging but moreish.
A nice, sensibly priced blend. Great for mixing, but really good neat. No peat, so good for beginners or those that don't want it. Creamy, sweetish nose, Taste following expectations, creamy and some sweetness with a little fruit. Not overly complex, but great at the price.
Great experience during and after
Absolutely horrible taste. Even mixing it with coke you can't get rid of the acetone/aniline taste. Yeah I guess that's fruit notes in a way? Though the good thing about this is that for a cheap price you can instantly know whether you like scotch or not. I clearly don't. Since it's a blend it doesn't have any personality (think opposite of single barrel) it's average and has that young, not aged enough hint. For a mixer? yeah sure why not! Want to try out scotch? go ahead. Just don't expect anything out of it. Price can only be justified by marketing too, should be at least 20% lower for something distributed at such a high volume. Another piece of advice: never trust people who rate this way too high. I mean I get that they think they're getting a great bang for their buck, but this is still 40% and has no remarkable qualities, nothing special about it; which is also a good thing if that's you're looking for I guess.
I prefer blends and love smokiness so no need to state why I always drink JW. That said, this is much cheaper than green label JW and so much more sophisticated for the palate. Will be my choice for a blended single malt from now on, even without smoke.
