Monkey Shoulder
The Speyside whisky with the three monkeys on the bottle, made for mixing. Everything about the taste, the difference from Smokey Monkey, the cocktails and the glass that goes with it.
Three single malts, made for mixing
Monkey Shoulder is a blended malt Scotch whisky from William Grant & Sons, the family behind Glenfiddich and The Balvenie. It is a blend of single malts from Speyside only (no grain whisky), matured in ex-bourbon barrels and blended in small batches. The brand was launched in 2005 with one goal: a whisky good enough to drink neat, but made for cocktails.
The name refers to an old occupational ailment among maltsters: endlessly turning barley by hand made their shoulder sag, the 'monkey shoulder'. The three copper monkeys on the bottle represent the three malts in the original recipe. Monkey Shoulder is soft, full-bodied and sweet, and became bartenders' favorite whisky worldwide.
In brief
What types of Monkey Shoulder are there?
Monkey Shoulder
The original: soft, rounded and sweet, with vanilla, honey and a touch of orange. No smoke.
Smokey Monkey
The same style, but with peated malts added. A soft layer of smoke over the honey and vanilla.
Gift box with glass
The regular Monkey Shoulder in a gift box with a matching glass. Ready to give.
For cocktails, the regular Monkey Shoulder; if you like smoke, choose Smokey Monkey.
Soft, sweet and full of vanilla
Vanilla & orange
Sweet vanilla, honey, ripe apple and orange peel, with a hint of cinnamon.
Round and creamy
Smooth and full, with toffee, malt and light spices. No sharp edges and no smoke.
Warm and sweet
A medium-length, warm finish of vanilla and spices that calls for another sip.
Monkey Shoulder flavour profile. Smokey Monkey scores 3/5 for smokiness and is slightly drier.
Three ways to drink Monkey Shoulder
Monkey Shoulder is made for mixing. It is perfectly fine neat, but it comes into its own in a Whiskey Sour, a highball or an Old Fashioned.
Whiskey Sour
50 ml Monkey Shoulder, 25 ml lemon juice, 15 ml sugar syrup and egg white, shaken first without and then with ice. Strain into a tumbler with ice. The cocktail this whisky was made for.
View the recipe →Monkey & ginger ale
50 ml Monkey Shoulder with 150 ml ginger ale in a long drink glass filled with ice, with a lime wedge. Fresh, lightly spicy and ready in a minute. Even better with Smokey Monkey.
Glass: highball glass →Old Fashioned
60 ml Monkey Shoulder, one sugar cube, two dashes of Angostura and a large ice cube, stirred in a tumbler with an orange zest.
View the recipe →The best cocktails with Monkey Shoulder
Whiskey Sour
Whisky, lemon, sugar and egg white. Smooth, tart and creamy; even rounder with Monkey Shoulder.
Old Fashioned
Whisky, sugar and bitters over a large ice cube. Simple and timeless.
Penicillin
Whisky, lemon, honey-ginger and a smoky float. With Smokey Monkey in one bottle.
Whisky Highball
Whisky and soda over plenty of ice. Light, refreshing and perfect with a smooth malt like Monkey Shoulder.The right glass for Monkey Shoulder
A heavy tumbler for Whiskey Sour and Old Fashioned, a highball glass for the highball and a tasting glass for drinking neat. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything you still wanted to know about Monkey Shoulder
Can't find your question here? View our cocktail recipes or get in touch.
To the cocktail recipes →