Caskable Score: 8.0/10

WHISKY

Monkey Shoulder

★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8.0 / 10

Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Scotland
40% ABV
NAS
Around $30–40

OUR VERDICT

I’m pretty sure I’ve bought Monkey Shoulder more times than I can remember.

Not because I thought it was some incredible whisky. Honestly, when I first started drinking whisky, I probably couldn’t have told you what made Monkey Shoulder different from half the other bottles sitting on the shelf.

I just knew it tasted good.

It was affordable, didn’t taste like fire and didn’t require me to know anything about whisky before drinking it. That was enough.

Then, somewhere along the way, I started getting curious.

Why does this taste different from Glenfiddich? What’s actually meant by “blended malt”? Why does one Scotch taste smoky and another taste like fruit? And why the hell are some bottles $30 while others cost more than my first car?

That’s where bottles like Monkey Shoulder become interesting.

It’s not a complicated whisky. It’s not going to blow your mind. But it’s an easy bottle to come back to, and I think that’s why it has stuck around for me.

If you’re just starting to get into Scotch, I’d have absolutely no problem telling you to buy a bottle.

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WHAT IS MONKEY SHOULDER?

This is where things started getting more interesting for me.

Monkey Shoulder is a blended malt Scotch whisky.

That sounds more complicated than it really is.

Basically, it’s made by combining malt whiskies from different distilleries. There’s no grain whisky involved, which is the bit that often separates a blended malt from a standard blended Scotch.

The whisky comes from William Grant & Sons, the same company behind Glenfiddich and The Balvenie.

And that’s one of the things I like about getting further into whisky.

You start with a bottle.

Then you look up who made it.

Then you discover they own another distillery.

Then you buy that bottle.

Then you somehow end up reading about the history of Scottish whisky at two in the morning.

That’s the rabbit hole.

Monkey Shoulder was one of the bottles that helped push me down it.

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TASTING NOTES

NOSE

There’s nothing particularly intimidating about Monkey Shoulder.

I get vanilla first, along with some sweet malt and a little orange.

There’s some spice there too, but it’s pretty gentle.

The whole thing smells approachable.

And that’s probably the best word for this whisky.

Approachable.

You don’t have to sit there with the glass under your nose wondering whether that smell is “dried apricot” or “stone fruit.”

It smells nice.

Pour it. Smell it. Drink it.

We’re good.

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PALATE

It’s soft, sweet and fairly light.

Vanilla and caramel are probably the first things I notice, followed by some citrus and mild spice.

There’s a little maltiness underneath it all.

And here’s where I think Monkey Shoulder makes sense.

It’s not trying to be clever.

There’s no massive alcohol hit at 40%, no wall of peat and no ridiculous oakiness.

It’s just easy.

I can drink this without thinking about it.

And sometimes that’s exactly what I want.

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FINISH

The finish is probably the weakest part for me.

It’s fairly short.

You get some sweetness and a little spice and then… it’s gone.

But again, I’m not particularly bothered by it.

If I’m sitting down with a serious single malt, I want something that keeps developing after I swallow it.

If I’m drinking Monkey Shoulder with friends, I don’t really care.

I’m probably pouring another one anyway.

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HOW I DRINK IT

Most of the time, I’d happily drink Monkey Shoulder neat.

But this is one of those bottles where I don’t feel guilty about mixing it.

That’s important.

Some whisky people seem to think putting ice in whisky is a criminal offense.

I’m not one of them.

Monkey Shoulder works really well in cocktails, especially an Old Fashioned or a Whisky Sour.

It also makes a very easy Highball.

And if you’re having friends over and not everyone is drinking whisky, this is a much safer bottle to put on the table than some 58% cask-strength monster you’ve spent six months hunting down.

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VALUE

★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8.0 / 10

This is where Monkey Shoulder has always made sense to me.

At around $30–40, you’re getting something that’s easy to drink, easy to find and useful in a lot of different situations.

Is it the best Scotch you can buy for $35?

Probably not.

But that’s not really the question.

The question is whether I’d be annoyed if someone drank half the bottle at my house.

No.

I’d probably just buy another one.

And that’s a pretty good sign.

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BEST FOR

• Getting into Scotch
• Drinking neat
• Cocktails
• Whisky Highballs
• Sharing with friends
• People who don’t like smoky whisky
• People who aren’t sure what kind of whisky they like yet

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WHO SHOULD BUY IT?

If you’re standing in front of a whisky shelf and have absolutely no idea what to buy, Monkey Shoulder is a pretty safe bet.

Especially if you’re moving beyond the really basic stuff and want to start figuring out what Scotch is actually about.

It’s also a good bottle to keep around when you don’t want to think too hard.

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WHO SHOULD SKIP IT?

If you’re already deep into whisky and looking for something complicated, this probably isn’t going to excite you.

There are more interesting bottles.

There are stronger bottles.

There are bottles with longer finishes and more interesting cask influence.

But that’s not really what Monkey Shoulder is trying to be.

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ALTERNATIVES

Glenfiddich 12

If Monkey Shoulder is where you start getting curious about single malt, Glenfiddich 12 is a pretty obvious next step.

It’s fruitier, a little more distinctive and comes from one distillery.

Johnnie Walker Black Label

If you want to try something with a little more smoke, this is a good move.

It’s a blended Scotch rather than a blended malt, but it’s another bottle that’s easy to find and doesn’t require you to take out a second mortgage.

Famous Grouse

If you simply want something cheap and easy, this is worth looking at.

It’s less interesting to me, but it’s also cheaper.

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FINAL VERDICT

Verdict: I’d buy it again.

And I think that’s ultimately why I keep coming back to Monkey Shoulder.

It’s not the whisky that made me sit there staring into my glass wondering about the meaning of life.

It’s the whisky that made me start asking questions.

What distillery made this?

Why does this taste like this?

What happens if I spend another $20?

What does a single malt actually taste like?

And eventually:

Why the hell do I now own 14 bottles of whisky?

That’s the fun of it.

Monkey Shoulder isn’t the end of the whisky journey.

For me, it’s much closer to the beginning.

And honestly, that’s probably where it belongs.

8.0/10.