If you have never heard of the brand, Monkey Shoulder is a free-spirited, fun-loving triple malt with an easygoing smooth, rich and mellow vanilla deliciousness that means it can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, mixed or in cocktails. Scotch snobs say you shouldn't drink whisky with ice or mix it with cocktails, but there are no old-fashioned rules when it comes to enjoying Monkey Shoulder.
"Monkey Shoulder is an authentic Scotch and therefore we want to break down the barriers and let South Africans discover a new way to enjoy malt whisky without having to worry about all the history and traditions that can be somewhat intimidating," says Lauren Kuhlmey, marketing manager for Monkey Shoulder SA.
While authentic to its core, the whiskey is named after an old tale about distillery workers. Years ago, the workers would shovel tonnes of malting barley by hand, hour after hour. This hard work sometimes caused a sore shoulder which resulted in either arm hanging towards the ground - bit like a chimpanzee. The men called this temporary affliction 'monkey shoulder' and the Scotch is named in their honour.
Upon arrival of the launch, which took place at The House of Machines in Cape Town, guests were treated to a variety of Monkey Shoulder cocktails namely; Show Me the Monkey, Monkey See Monkey Do, You Are So Primitive and Hear No Evil See No Evil) created by award-winning mixologist Nick Koumbarakis.
Following the welcome speech, Callan went around to guests answering various questions about the whisky while guests were treated to various canapes while sipping on cocktails.
A combination of three single malt Scotch whiskies (that's why it's called triple malt), all matured in oak casks that previously held Bourbon (where the smooth mellow vanilla goodness comes from), Monkey Shoulder is launched by renowned independent, family-owned distillers William Grant & Sons.
Monkey Shoulder will be available in limited quantities at leading liquor stores nationwide from R310.
For more, go to www.facebook.com/MonkeyShoulderSA
Cover image sourced from www.facebook.com/MonkeyShoulderSA
