Monkey Shoulder: the review of the best blended whisky for making cocktails

If you are looking for a soft, spicy, warm and velvety-tasting blended Scotch whisky, the Monkey Shoulder is the ideal bottle. He was born to please, not stimulate or amaze, but to be very pleasant and meek.

Every detail has been designed to find the formula for extreme drinkability, starting with the blend of three excellent single malts from Speyside, an area renowned for the extreme elegance of its spirits.

This does not mean that the Monkey Shoulder whiskey is banal or predictable; on the contrary, it has body and spices. To the nose, it offers elegant nuances and a not exaggerated depth. Still, it is a continuous change of pace on the palate, sweet, citrusy, vanilla, lots of wood, but then flowers to no end.

Don’t expect peat or extreme purity with sharp edges or peaks of herbs and medicinal scents.

Quite the contrary, this Monkey Shoulder pushes the style of the more delicate Speyside to the extreme, without falling into a caricature of itself: enveloping flowers and fruit, measure, pleasantness and a long finish with endless chocolate.

How is it done?

Born from the union of three single malt whiskies from Speyside: Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie, which are then expertly blended and bottled. Note that the distillery that produces this blend is the Kininvie distillery itself, which also makes excellent single malts.

But that’s no accident; these three distilleries have the same owner, William Grant & Sons. Not surprisingly, as soon as you approach your nose, the call of caramelized and herbaceous Balvenie is immediately recognized.

The bouquet

Rich and direct nose, subtly herbaceous, floral with hints of fleshy and sensual flowers such as violets and orchids. The fruit is ripe, full, with baked apples, cookies and raisins.

Vanilla, chocolate, coffee and cinnamon are the setting, with delicious hints of butter and pastry in the background.

Basically, think of any baked cake with cream and you will find it inside. Everything is very muffled, the variety is decent, but don’t expect a fiery kaleidoscope powered by plutonium. Simplicity and precision are the watchwords.

The taste

Warm mouth, easy to drink, with well-modulated heat and spicy-vanilla-almond flavors. It is not very deep or particularly structured, but it gets its job done.

Price of Monkey Shoulder

And let’s get to the strength of this blend: a very inviting price. You can find it on sale for 25-28 euros, a very attractive price that makes it a business whiskey for making cocktails or an unpretentious daily drink.

What cocktails to make with Monkey Shoulder whisky

With these characteristics of pleasantness and this very affordable price, the Monkey is a candidate as the best inexpensive whiskey for making glimmering cocktails, starting with Rusty Nail, Rob Roy, whiskey sour.