Monkey Shoulder Original – 70cl

Monkey Shoulder is a blended malt, not a single malt, and that distinction is the whole point. Three Speyside distilleries from the William Grant stable, Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie, go into the marriage, and the result is a whisky built for ease rather than ceremony. The name nods to the maltmen who once turned barley by hand until their shoulders ached. It carries no age statement and sits at 40% ABV, which tells you exactly what it is for: drinking, freely and often.

The nose is sweet and approachable, all vanilla, orange marmalade and a dusting of brown sugar, with a little toasted oak underneath. There is no peat here and no pretence. On the palate it stays soft and rounded, with honey, ripe apricot and a vanilla-custard creaminess that makes it slide down without resistance. A gentle warmth of cinnamon and oak builds toward a finish that is short, clean and faintly malty. It never tries to dazzle you, and that restraint is its strength.

You buy this knowing what you are getting: a dependable, well-made malt that mixes as happily as it sips. The value is genuine, and a bottle earns its place on any shelf.

How to Serve

Neat over a single large cube, or as the backbone of an Old Fashioned, where its orange-and-vanilla character really sings. A ginger ale highball works beautifully on a warm afternoon.

Where to Drink It

Try Swift in Soho for an unfussy dram, the bar at The Connaught for something more polished, or Black Rock in Shoreditch where the whisky list rewards the curious.

Food Pairings

Salted caramel desserts, a wedge of mature Cheddar, or roasted almonds. It also handles a glazed ham with real charm.