Review #: 5
Description: Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Whisky
Spirit: Scotch
Background: A popular, blended and cheap offering in the world of scotch. A blend of malts from Balvenie, Glenfiddich, and Kinivie, there doesn’t seem to be much more information on it other than the malts come from first fill ex-bourbon barrels.
Distillery – Balvenie/Glenfiddich/Kininvie
Bottler – William Grant & Sons
Brand – Monkey Shoulder
Selection – N/A
ABV – 40%
Age – NAS
Nose – Rich caramel, faint acetone, clean smoke, black pepper
Taste – Vanilla, light cherry into oak. Inoffensive and sweet, but lacks complexity
Finish – Oak and smoke, bitter, lingering black pepper
Score: 4
Would I buy a bottle? It’s decent for someone just getting into whisky/scotch and get ok flavor for cheap
Thoughts: My first scotch review and I should preface that coming into this set, I knew very little about the world of Scottish Whisky. I was the person who believed that peat was essential to its character and I think the only ones I tried before this was Johnnie Walker Red and standard Dewars. This was definitely better, and I really enjoyed the nose on this bottle while having limited experience. Even looking back, it’s light, sweet, inoffensive, and pretty well balanced for what it is. Not bad for a beginner bottle.