Neill reviews Monkey Shoulder, a blended malt from Wm. Grant & Sons – owner of the Glenfiddich and Balvenie single malts.
Whisky, it is fair to say, can make for an expensive hobby. Even more so, if you end up disappointed by the bottle you bring home. There are things we can do to reduce the risks of such an outcome (like seeking out opinions through blogs like this one) but there’s no substitute for experiencing a whisky first hand. Sampling before buying is invaluable and should be pursued at every opportunity whether through local tasting events or dedicated whisky clubs, at a well-stocked bar or through a respectable retailer, who’s happy to pour a nip or two to loyal customers.
Then there are miniatures. Handy and affordable 5cl bottles which provide a dram or two with which to inform one’s purchase. Sadly, the fashion for bottling miniatures has largely died out but a few well-known brands still utilise them and in those cases, they make for a handy sampler for the curious shopper.
A 70cl bottle of Monkey Shoulder will set you back as little as £25, but for the purposes of this review I was able to buy a miniature for the paltry sum of just £3. That’s not a lot to risk on trying a new dram.
Monkey Shoulder is produced by William Grant & Sons (whom you may remember from my review of Glenfiddich 15). It’s a blend of three single malts: Glenfiddich, Kininvie and Balvenie. The rather bizarre name derives from an injury suffered by distillery workers in the old days… Working the malting floor, turning grain with shovels all day long was back-breaking work and often led to a painful injury which was dubbed “monkey shoulder”. While very few distilleries operate their own malt floor today, the name supposedly serves as an affectionate tribute to the hardy maltmen of old.
Monkey Shoulder Review
Monkey Shoulder is bottled at just 40%, though, in fairness, it is intended and marketed as an easy drinker and uses its own website to highlight the drink’s usefulness as a cocktail ingredient.
Smell: Honey, toffee and fudge. Malty. Some light fruits. Slightly floral. Little bit of chocolate.
Taste: More honeyed malt. Orchard fruits. Salted caramel. Some cocoa, coffee and dark chocolate at the back.
Thoughts: Monkey Shoulder’s flavour profile is a bit light for my personal taste but you certainly can’t argue with the asking price of £25. It’s affordable, approachable and ultimately inoffensive, which means it won’t scare anyone away. Scotch whisky will always need crowd-pleaser bottles and Monkey Shoulder does that pretty well. As always, I can’t help wondering what it might be like at 46% but I suppose that’s rather irrelevant. As it stands, Monkey Shoulder isn’t something I buy for the home but I’ve certainly enjoyed the odd dram in a bar here and there.
For more info on Monkey Shoulder…
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