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."
Waitrose had this knocked down to £16 (yes, I know...) so I thought I would try it. I buy very few blends and normally have a cupboard full of single malts, but this keeps pace with those and is an amazing blend. The Balvenie shines through in this mix but isn't dominant - pure genius in my opinion and the price is crazy.
My introduction into whisky. This was a good start. A solid taste, not the smoothest. But easy enough to drink neat.
Not complex, but nothing about it is bad. It has a hint of spice which makes me think of Johnny Walker Red label (if it were good). It's a good value and has a nice creamy body. The sweet maltiness and pleasant fruity flavor of a basic Speyside is what this is all about.
No kidding lads and lassies, this is a treat, I bought one for the first time whilst looking for something new to try, but I struggled to find one that appealed to me, so I bought this one for the quirky three little monkeys stuck on the side of the bottle. I was very pleasantly surprised when I tried it, I think (and I know we all have different tastes) it's probably the nicest reasonably priced whisky I've tasted!.....Never tried it? take a leap of faith!
This is a fantastic blend, after picking up a bottle in a supermarket and seeing the label 'Triple Malt' on offer I was sceptical, having had my fingers burned with pure malt blends in the past that were car crashes of flavours! First taste was promising, with a mixer this is pure nectar and rewrites the rules (do not abuse this with cola!), but in a true serve with a few drops of water it opens up and gives out beautiful citrus openers, before becoming textures of rich classic oak aged flavours, but a warm aftertaste. When you research the blend, it comes back as William Grants mucking about with the three malt distilleries they own, glenfiddich, balvenie (both pretty hit and miss at times) and kininvie
