Apologies for our slightly tardy posting this last week... Both Joel any myself have been off exploring various sweaty music venues around the country, where the whisky has been bad and the music worse still. Still - happy times again descend on Caskstrength towers and we have a plethora of new treats to taste and start smiling about...
First up and a blended treat. We had intended April to be a blended whisky special, but had a few cracking single malts to get through (including the superb Balvenie 21 year old Port Wood finish) that demanded presidence. Stay tuned for some interesting blending reviews and 'experiments'!!
I must be the only whisky drinker out there who has never tried Monkey Shoulder- don't ask me why- it certainly isn't because i've been avoiding it... for some reason, it has just never crossed my path- until now that is...
Batch 27 of this highly regarded whisky is a blend from 3 Speyside distilleries; Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie, utilising 27 casks.
Let's see where this bottling takes us- Monkey Heaven, or the smelly ape enclosure of Twycross Zoo??
Monkey Shoulder - Batch 27 - 70cl - 40%
Nose: Pasturised apple juice, chopped pears, toasted cinnamon buns, something slightly oaky and woody, with swathes of some rich fudge. So far and the trip to Monkey Heaven looks set...
Palate: A surprisingly thick and viscous mouth feel for a blended whisky! You can immediately taste the influence of the 'fiddich casks, which I would hazard a guess at being fairly young and vibrant. A nice ending of drying spices, pepper and cereal completes a hugely palatable dram.
Finish: Fresh green apples, leading into more cereal - nothing too lengthy, but that's clearly not to be expected here.
Overall: A thoroughly drinkable and enjoyable whisky- I can now see why this is a serious force to be reckoned with in the sub £25 market.