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Monkey Shoulder Batch 27 Whiskey 750ml
Monkey Shoulder
SKU 59046

Monkey Shoulder Batch 27 Whiskey 750ml

$28.99 - $28.99
$28.99
$28.99 - $28.99
$28.99
Availability:
12 available

Monkey Shoulder comes from William Grant & Sons, the family-owned Scottish distiller behind Glenfiddich and Balvenie. The whisky is a blended malt made entirely of single malts from three Speyside distilleries under that same roof: Glenfiddich, Balvenie, and the smaller Kininvie, most of which normally goes unbottled and feeds directly into blends like this one. The brand takes its name from a real affliction once suffered by distillery maltmen, who developed a sore, dropped shoulder from hours spent turning malted barley by hand with a wooden shovel called a schiel. Released in 2003, the whisky has since become known for helping shift Scotch's image toward a younger, more cocktail-focused audience.

Malt Master Brian Kinsman sources whisky from all three distilleries after each has been twice distilled in copper pot stills and matured separately in first-fill bourbon casks, typically for six to eight years. From those casks, twenty-seven are selected and vatted together, the batch number that gives the whisky its name, then married for a further period before bottling at 40% alcohol by volume. No age statement appears on the label, since the blend is built around flavor and consistency rather than a specific number of years.

The nose brings zesty orange citrus and vanilla over a base of toasted, polished oak with a touch of spice. On the palate, that citrus and vanilla continue alongside honeyed sweetness and a light nuttiness, with the malt character staying soft and rounded rather than sharp. The finish is smooth and moderately long, fading on warm oak and a last note of spice. It's built to work equally well in cocktails or on its own.

"Monkey Shoulder is a vatted whisky that despite being a blend of three distillery's malts is so rare that shots on the west coast of the U.S. have typically sold for $20 a glass... when entire bottles sell for under $30. I encountered a bottle of Monkey Shoulder on a recent trip to New York for all of $27 and snapped it up. (The name is a reference to a malady suffered by floor malters, who get sore shoulders by working their oversized barley shovels for hours on end.

The whisky has no age statement but is a blend of three Speyside whiskys: Glenfiddich, Balvenie, and Kininvie, with 27 casks total selected for each bottling by malt master David Stewart.

By and large it's a classic Speyside whisky. The big malty character offers light, brown-sugar sweetness, backed by notes of heather and, intriguingly, distinct touches of iodine. Underneath that you'll find cooked fruits, chewy toffee, and notes of incense. It's more exotic than you'd think. I keep going back to this malt... it's an easy whisky to like but one that invites tons of discovery. Now that availability is finally expanding, keep an eye out for it."
Country: Scotland
Bottle Size: 750ml
Producer: Monkey Shoulder
Proof: 86
Monkey Shoulder

Monkey Shoulder comes from William Grant & Sons, the family-owned Scottish distiller behind Glenfiddich and Balvenie. The whisky is a blended malt made entirely of single malts from three Speyside distilleries under that same roof: Glenfiddich, Balvenie, and the smaller Kininvie, most of which normally goes unbottled and feeds directly into blends like this one. The brand takes its name from a real affliction once suffered by distillery maltmen, who developed a sore, dropped shoulder from hours spent turning malted barley by hand with a wooden shovel called a schiel. Released in 2003, the whisky has since become known for helping shift Scotch's image toward a younger, more cocktail-focused audience.

Malt Master Brian Kinsman sources whisky from all three distilleries after each has been twice distilled in copper pot stills and matured separately in first-fill bourbon casks, typically for six to eight years. From those casks, twenty-seven are selected and vatted together, the batch number that gives the whisky its name, then married for a further period before bottling at 40% alcohol by volume. No age statement appears on the label, since the blend is built around flavor and consistency rather than a specific number of years.

The nose brings zesty orange citrus and vanilla over a base of toasted, polished oak with a touch of spice. On the palate, that citrus and vanilla continue alongside honeyed sweetness and a light nuttiness, with the malt character staying soft and rounded rather than sharp. The finish is smooth and moderately long, fading on warm oak and a last note of spice. It's built to work equally well in cocktails or on its own.

"Monkey Shoulder is a vatted whisky that despite being a blend of three distillery's malts is so rare that shots on the west coast of the U.S. have typically sold for $20 a glass... when entire bottles sell for under $30. I encountered a bottle of Monkey Shoulder on a recent trip to New York for all of $27 and snapped it up. (The name is a reference to a malady suffered by floor malters, who get sore shoulders by working their oversized barley shovels for hours on end.

The whisky has no age statement but is a blend of three Speyside whiskys: Glenfiddich, Balvenie, and Kininvie, with 27 casks total selected for each bottling by malt master David Stewart.

By and large it's a classic Speyside whisky. The big malty character offers light, brown-sugar sweetness, backed by notes of heather and, intriguingly, distinct touches of iodine. Underneath that you'll find cooked fruits, chewy toffee, and notes of incense. It's more exotic than you'd think. I keep going back to this malt... it's an easy whisky to like but one that invites tons of discovery. Now that availability is finally expanding, keep an eye out for it."
Country: Scotland
Bottle Size: 750ml
Producer: Monkey Shoulder
Proof: 86