Appeared in Russia in 2012, whiskey with the intriguing name Monkey Shoulder attracted the attention of connoisseurs and collectors. I was surprised by the shape of the bottle with three brass monkeys placed near the neck. And after the first tasting, the drink immediately won fans with a sweetish taste with a recognizable vanilla aroma.
Literally, Monkey Shoulder is translated into Russian as “Monkey Shoulder” or “Monkey Shoulder”. The name of the brand, so strange at first glance, pays tribute to the memory of the profession of malt masters of the past, who had to make every effort to mix germinating barley grains with a wooden shovel. The work was hard, leading to damage to the shoulder ligaments and dislocations of the shoulder. In the people, the injury was called “monkey shoulder”. This method of grain malting has been preserved only in one distillery in Scotland – Balveny. Master blender David Stewart, who works in this distillery, came up with the whiskey recipe and brand name.
The thick glass bottles were designed by London-based creative agency Lewis Moberly. At the base of each bottle there are three convex figurines of monkeys with long tails according to the number of alcohol components of whiskey. The bottle is decorated with a vintage beige label with a brief text about the hard work of the malt masters.
Description. Monkey Shouder 100% malt whiskey has an unforgettable delicate aroma with notes of apricots, peaches, citrus fruits, vanilla, oak and flowers. Vanilla notes also show up in a mild palate along with nutmeg, cinnamon and honey. The aftertaste is short with fruity notes. Exposure time – 3 years. The color is amber-golden, the fortress is 40%.
According to the classification, the brand is classified as Blended malt (a mixture of single malt whiskeys from different distilleries). According to alcohol critic Martin Nue, the aroma of the drink is “refined and refined.” Expert Dave Broom, author of the famous book “Whiskey. Atlas of the World”, calls the scent of the brand “balanced”. Alcohol critic and author of the annual Whiskey Bible, Jim Murray, believes that the aroma and taste of Monkey Shoulder whiskey deserves 93 points out of a possible XNUMX.
At the 2013 World Spirit Awards in San Francisco, the Monkey Shouder brand was awarded a double gold medal, and at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge held in New York the same year, the drink was rated “Exellent, Highly Recommended”.
The manufacturer recommends using Monkey shoulder whiskey in cocktails or as a digestif (alcohol after a meal). With ice, the taste becomes more tender. The optimum serving temperature for tasting pure (without ice) is 20°C.
Technological features. The owner of the Monkey Shouder brand is William Grant and Sons (William Grant and Sons). Masters of the company make whiskey from a mixture of three single malt spirits from the Scottish distilleries of Balveny, Glenfiddich and Kiwinwy. The last company “William Grant and Sons” built in 1990.
Each variety is first aged in barrels where bourbon was previously stored, after which 27 barrels with the best quality spirits are selected. Then blending (mixing) is performed in a special vat, and the drink is again sent to bourbon barrels for maturation. Aged whiskey is bottled.