Monkey Shoulder The Original Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (75cl, 43%)

Monkey Shoulder The Original is a blended malt Scotch whisky from William Grant and Sons, bottled at 43% in a 750ml bottle. It is a vatting of three Speyside single malts, traditionally from Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie, with no grain whisky in the blend. The whisky is married in small batches of around twenty seven casks, which is where Batch 27 comes from, and it is matured in first fill ex-bourbon casks. The three monkeys on the bottle stand for the three distilleries, and the name nods to the maltmen who turned barley by hand. It is a rich gold in the glass. The nose is citrus, crisp red apple, vanilla and warm spice. The palate is smooth and fruit forward, with vanilla, cinnamon, stone fruit, malt and a touch of milk chocolate, and the finish is clean and mellow.