Monkey Shoulder Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland - Speyside

Brand: Monkey Shoulder

Type: Blended Malt Whisky

Age:  NAS

ABV:  40 %

Colour: Golden

Nose: Nothing special but not unpleasant with Malt, Toast, Orange Marmalade, Oak, Dried Fruit, Plums, Apples, Nectarine, Honey, Vanilla, Grass/Straw, light Butterscotch, Bread Dough, Brown Sugar and light Aniseed. Some Floral Tones as well.

Palate: A bit on the Thin Side with Malt, Toast, Butterscotch, slightly Bitter Oak, Toffee, Lemon, Brown Sugar, Plums, Strawberries, Pepper, Cloves, Olive Oil and Honey.

Finish: Short with Malt, Pepper, Cloves, Nutmeg, light Licorice, Honey, Vanilla and Oak.

The Monkey Shoulder does not accept added Water very well. It becomes too thin really.

Rating: 79

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 19.5 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 19.5

The Balvenie Distillery

General Remarks: Monkey Shoulder is the popular name for a painful but temporary injury that Malt Men suffered on the Malting Floor while turning the Malted Barley with a shovel repetitively. It's also the name of this mix of three Single Malts owned by William Grant & Sons Ltd. They are the Glenfiddich, the Balvenie and Kininvie. The Blend (Batch 27) was distilled and matured in Dufftown by W.Grant. The three Single Malts mature in First Fill Ex-Bourbon Casks before being blended in small batches of 27 casks only. The Monkey Shoulder is certainly affordable at around - or slightly below 40 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: It's not a bad blend although it tastes rather young and somewhat unfinished. And while the Nose is not unpleasant, I find Monkey Shoulder too Thin on the Palate and not interesting enough to sip neat.  It's okay on the Rocks or in Cocktails. I prefer The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 over this any time.

I tasted this Blend again on December 28, 2015. I have made some small changes in the Tasting Notes but the final Rating remains unchanged. The Nose is okay but Palate and Finish are not really interesting. A Good Blend to drink on the Rocks! 

Jan van den Ende                                   May 6, 2013 and December 28, 2015

BenRiach 2000 Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland - Speyside

Brand: BenRiach

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age:  12 Years

ABV:  54.4% %

Colour: Old Gold  

Nose: You need to be patient with this BenRiach. It takes its time before revealing its character. The Oak and Vanilla are clearly present,  accompanied by Juicy Sweet Malt, Butterscotch, Cake and Whipped Cream, Honey, Sweet Fruit like Nectarine and Peach, Light Spices (Cinnamon and Ginger) and Hints of Cocoa Milk and Milk Chocolate. There is some Alcohol there, quite logical given the high ABV, but it does not sting or bite.

Palate: Lots of Oak, Spices like White Pepper and Nutmeg, Coconut-Cocktail, Malt, Honey, Heather and Dried Fruits.

Finish: Malty, Fruity and quite Long with Honey, Pear-Drops, Caramel, Toffee, Oak, Licorice and White Pepper.

I added a bit of Water and the Nose becomes more Fruity, Creamy and Floral with the Oak and Alcohol being forced back. Additional Hints of Mint, Tea and After Eight Chocolate. But Palate and Finish do not improve in my opinion. So add some Water for Nosing purposes but sip it neat.

Rating: 85

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21

General Remarks: The BenRiach (Gaelic for Speckled Mountain) Distillery was founded in 1898 by John Duff. Since 2004 it's in the hands of a joint-venture between South African Infra Trading and Burn Stewart manager Billy Walker. This BenRiach 2000 is a Limited Distillery Release for The Netherlands. It was distilled in 2000 and bottled at Cask Strength in October 2012. It matured in a Virgin Oak Hogshead with Cask # 9030 out of which 309 bottles of 700 ml were drawn. This BenRiach is non chill-filtered and no artificial colourants were added. It costs around 80 US Dollars.   

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: I do miss the Peat (Smoke) in this BenRiach as it combines so nicely with the Oak, Honey and Heather like for instance in the BenRiach 16. The Oak and Spices are a bit too dominant in the BenRiach 2000 although there are some very nice notes of Fruit and Milk Chocolate on the Nose. If you like Bourbons with a high ABV, this might be an interesting step into the world of Scottish Single Malts. I am glad I was able to taste a sample of the BenRiach 2000. But I would not consider buying a full bottle of it. 

Jan van den Ende                                                                     May 3, 2013