Monkey Shoulder Batch 27 Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Named after an afflication sufferred by distillery workers engaged in the back-breaking work of turning the malting barley with a shiel (a kind of large wooden spade). Thankfully machines do this now, but this whisky has been named in honour of their passion. Produced by Malt Master David Stewart at William Grant & Sons, the whisky is a blended malt made up of 27 casks from Kininvie, Glenfiddich and Balvenie distilleries. (Kininvie has been in production for over a decade but without a bottling of any kind coming onto the market). The slick presentation features a triplet of monkeys, representing the three distilleries. Re-tasted in early 2024, the whisky delivers a medium sweet, pleasantly fruity, mainstream blend that oils-up nicely with ice but flattens out with minimal dilution. 40% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews… Nose: Ripe, very sweet and long. Toasted/polished oak, light resin notes, nutmeg. Palate: Still sweet: a soft start, vanilla custard, a hint of dried fruit, baked banana, cinnamon, vanilla. Honeyed centre. Toasted, indeed roasted, wood gives much needed grip. Finish: Membrillo. Comment: Exuberant, sweet and extremely well balanced. A great introduction to whisky. 83 points - David Broom, whiskymag.com

Outstanding vatting here by David Stewart who clearly has the malts in the palm of his hands... Nose: Busy, complex and wonderfully weighted: the theme is orangey citrus softened by vanilla. Excellent malt-oak ratio. Palate: soft mouth arrival and then a steady increase in malt intensity; shards of Demerara sweetness help counter the vanilla…some grain early on…enormous length…A joy. 93 points - Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2006

This one is enjoyed from time to time, being a very important malt in France, a vatting of Glenfiddich, Balvenie, and Kininvie. Since its introduction in 2005, it has always been Batch 27—surely the largest vatting tank in the world! Jokes aside, I used to prefer earlier versions, but things can always evolve. Colour: gold. Nose: well, it’s lovely, ever so slightly cardboardy, but also on shortbread, acacia honey, ripe mirabelles, and cinnamon cake. Honestly, I really like this nose… Perhaps they’ve increased the Balvenie proportion? Mouth: yes, it’s good, not as light as you might expect, with flavours close to the nose, plus a touch of orange. It only loses momentum after about thirty seconds—that’s the 40% for you. Finish: very short, indeed, and that’s its main flaw. A return of cardboard. Comments: a shame, I felt it was heading beyond 80 points. 79 points - whiskyfun.com