Monkey Shoulder is a blended malt Scotch whisky, made only from single malts from Speyside distilleries, with Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie the names most often linked to it. The name honours the maltmen who turned barley by hand on the malting floor, a job that left many with a strained shoulder known in the trade as monkey shoulder.
The Batch 27 name refers to the house practice of blending small batches of casks at a time, keeping the character consistent from bottle to bottle. The nose brings zesty orange, vanilla, honey and spiced oak. The palate is creamy and mellow, with vanilla, marmalade, barley sugar and a touch of cocoa, before a medium finish of spicy oak and a hint of peppermint.
Monkey Shoulder was made with mixing in mind, so it shines in an old fashioned, a whisky sour or a highball with ginger ale, while staying smooth enough to sip neat or over ice.