Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt

3.5 stars - Very good; 5 bottles For work, I have a minimalist wardrobe: 11 shirts, 4 trousers, 3 belts/shoes, and 2 sports coats. Every piece matches, is strong value for the money, and is distinctive. I have over six month’s worth of combinations. For your minimalist bar, for Scotch I would recommend you pick up Johnnie Walker Black and Monkey Shoulder. Then call it a day. They are widely available, great values, have distinctive style, and work neat/rocks/cocktails. Monkey Shoulder is a great blend. It is better than the sum of its parts. I had one bottle that was slightly over oaked, but otherwise it has been consistently high quality.

Very popular blend without dreaded grain whisky. Neat has moderate legs in glass. Nose brings sweet speyside fruits drizzled with honey. Peach, apricot and mandarin oranges in syrup. Also has nice healthy bubble gummy malt note. Its quite enticing. Soft on palate with fruity malt(think juicy fruit gum), light vanilla and white chocolate. Maybe a whiff of smoke. Long finish with lingering malt, oak and some light char. Balvenie new make is present in the flavor while Glenfiddich rules the finish. I can see what all the fuss is about. This stuff is juicy and succulent. Love that its a vatted malt, no grain . Great value at $30 too. I highly recommend this to people new to scotch. Soft, sweet, malty and easy drinking delicious. I dont mix but this should excel there. While well suited to a beginner this offers enough for scotch vets to enjoy as a strong value malt......86/100