Monkey Shoulder Scotch Review
By Richard Thomas
Rating: B
If whiskey’s long march back into international prominence started anywhere, it was with the rising popularity of single malt scotch in the 1980s. Yet being just old enough to remember it, and having been to Britain in the late 1980s, I recall a concurrent development that fell by the wayside: the double and triple malt scotch.
The idea behind double or triple malt scotch is to create a particularly narrow vatted malt, drawing malt whiskey from only two or three distilleries, as opposed to the wide sourcing typical of most vatted malts and blends that can sometimes extend to several dozen distilleries. The idea is now so deep in the dustbin of whiskey history that some very wrongly think double malt scotch never existed and the term is a mistake. At least it was until William Grant and Sons came up with Monkey Shoulder, reviving it for a short time.
Monkey Shoulder was originally labeled as a triple malt, and in fact it still is a triple malt, even if the label doesn’t say so. As the Scotch Whisky Association no longer recognizes the term “triple malt,” William Grant decided to change the label to emphasize that Monkey Shoulder is made in batches drawing on only 27 barrels at a time. The scotch is still a Brian Kinsman mix of first-fill bourbon barrel-aged malts from Kininvie, Balvenie, and Glenfiddich. Technically, Monkey Shoulder is not only a triple malt, but also a small batch.
The Scotch
Monkey Shoulder comes in a very attractive package: a fat, clear glass bottle with a trio of bronzed (actual metal) monkeys and an aged-looking, tan paper label adorning it, plus a sturdy cork stopper. The scotch is bottled at 40% abv.
In the glass, the vatted malt has a pleasing, solid gold color. The nose is a knockout, bearing a sweet combination of the malty, the grassy, and the citrusy, tinged with cloves, cinnamon, and aniseed, plus a pinch of pepper.
Coming from there, the palate is a shocker, turning everything over. On the top of the flavor is musty, toasty wood, but underneath that are some of the notes from the nose. The malty and grassy sweet flavors are still there, as are the spices, but that dry, toasty oak predominates.
Following from that barrel-ish current in the flavor, the finish starts from a dry aftertaste. From there it winds down mildly and pleasantly, but with only moderate warmth.
The Price
Monkey Shoulder is listed at £24 ($40) with UK web retailers, but is a bit cheaper than that in the United States, where prices range between $27 and $32. Prices like that make Monkey Shoulder a huge vatted malt bargain for American scotch-drinkers, competitive with the core small batch bourbons.
I’ve had it a few times and it’s definitely on my “bang for the buck” list. Great value for the price. Excellent if you want to make it an cocktail ingredient or just to have a nip.
Picked this up based on this review. The contrast from nose to taste is lovely. Add the smooth, dry finish with subtleties, and this is one of the most flavorful scotch whiskies I’ve found. Superb.
The review is so well written, the colour, nose and palate described so well that I have nothing much different to add; I just think this is a great whisky for the price. It is a pleasure to drink – soft buttery texture, with all the orange and spice you could wish for. It is also the only decent whisky in my local French shop – apparently it has been having quite an impact here.
This one is my go-to scotch for affordable single-malt sippin/ I think it is vastly undderated.
Great review. May I add hints of banana on nose and taste.
The banana definitely stood out for me.
43 ABV not 40 as stated here.
It was 40% at the time of publication, which is visible in the attached image. Monkey Shoulder was raised to 43% later on; eventually we will get to revisiting it.
“Bought on a whim, because of the ‘three monkey badge’… Then, sipped neat… Found it, very impressive; as a sipping drink… (And, the price; is good too)!
Read about the product in a whiskey review. Spotted it in a Duty Free store and purchased one of the two 1 Litre bottles, just over 2 years ago.
This bottle was 40%. It became one of my favourites and that of those who were introduced to this smooth truly lovely scotch.
Just got a 1.75 Litre in the US and discovered the change to 43%, but cant say if the taste has changed.
Even assuming identical sourcing and proportions for the blend, raising the ABV by 3 points should be noticeable to at least a small degree. Hence, I do really think Monkey Shoulder needs a revisit from us.
Bought this for a friend’s birthday a few years back. Sort of a joke due to the symbol (my wife referred to us as the three monkeys). Was absolutely delighted by the taste. It’s a familiar member of the whiskey cabinet now.