To Any Scotch or Bourbon drinkers.....

Snappo

Caveat Emptor - "A Billion People Can Be Wrong!"
Accessory Maker
I thought Monkey Shoulder is from Scotland and actually sold/made by Glenfiddich. :shrug:
Yes ...you are correct! I guess my point was poorly stated: there are some really good online Scottish scotch vendors who sell incredible spirits that we simply will not find on our store shelves. There's a whole other world out there when it comes to spirits!!! Back to specific topic - blended scotch (e.g., I've always been partial to Famous Grouse, Dewars, etc..,) because they are easy to find at the local store ...but Monkey Shoulder is of a much higher order of smoothness and flavor that the others simply don't achieve, IME. Very nice price too!!!
 
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FLelder ent

Well-Known Member
I'm easing into the whole whiskey/whisky scene. A friend just received this from the UK.

http://www.glenfarclas.co.uk/en/pages/78,105-Cask-Strength.html

Wow. This is an aggressive swig. No hiding the alcohol burn but there is a lot going on in terms of flavor. I tasted vanilla/orange/caramel. Smoother than you would expect.

I wish I can find the Glenfarclas 105 by me, not yet. My scotch preferences are cask strength sherried , I used to drink Macallan Cask Strength but I can't find it anymore because it was discontinued so I drink Aberlour A'bunadh which is readily available.
 

lwien

Well-Known Member
Really lovin this Monkey Shoulder blend ...thanks @Seren! Unbelievably smooth and just the right amount of sweet!

Got a bottle of Monkey Shoulder last night. Couldn't resist it at that price.

Totally agree with you, Snappo. Very smooth with just the right amount of sweet. Oranges was the first thing I smelled and tasted. A bit one dimensional though. This is my first foray into a blended. All my previous scotch experiences has been with single malts where the tastes were much more varied and complex, but then those costs 2 to 3 times what a bottle of this costs. At the price, this is a bargain. Really enjoyed it. Those oranges.............:p
 

Snappo

Caveat Emptor - "A Billion People Can Be Wrong!"
Accessory Maker
Got a bottle of Monkey Shoulder last night. Couldn't resist it at that price.

Totally agree with you, Snappo. Very smooth with just the right amount of sweet. Oranges was the first thing I smelled and tasted. A bit one dimensional though. This is my first foray into a blended. All my previous scotch experiences has been with single malts where the tastes were much more varied and complex, but then those costs 2 to 3 times what a bottle of this costs. At the price, this is a bargain. Really enjoyed it. Those oranges.............:p
Just a very few drops of water open it up a bit and expose a smidgen more dimension.
 

Seren

Away with the fairies
Really lovin this Monkey Shoulder blend ...thanks

Glad to hear you're enjoying it @Snappo :cheers: - I was very pleasantly surprised by it too :nod:

I'd also be really interested in hearing @arf777 's opinion. Do you think you'll try a little monkey magic @arf777?


To be honest - if it had been down to me - I wouldn't have told any of you about Monkey Shoulder - I'd have kept the secret all to myself! ;) If the prices go up because of a shift in demand due to @EveryDayAmnesiac's blabber mouth - I'll never speak to him again!!! :nope: .....:\ perhaps I should stock pile??? :shrug: ;) :D
 
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arf777

No longer dogless
Glad to hear you're enjoying it @Snappo :cheers: - I was very pleasantly surprised by it too :nod:

I'd also be really interested in hearing @arf777 's opinion. Do you think you'll try a little monkey magic @arf777?


To be honest - if it had been down to me - I wouldn't have told any of you about Monkey Shoulder - I'd have kept the secret all to myself! ;) If the prices go up because of a shift in demand due to @EveryDayAmnesiac's blabber mouth - I'll never speak to him again!!! :nope: .....:\ perhaps I should stock pile??? :shrug: ;) :D

I haven't picked up any of the Monkey Shoulders yet, but it's the next bottle I'm picking up. As a blend of Balvenie, Glenfiddich and Kininvie, I don't see how it could be bad.

And you somehow managed to find a version of the Monkey King (a.k.a. Stone Monkey, Sun Wukong, etc) I haven't seen before. That is impressive.
 

Seren

Away with the fairies
:) ......... Monkey Magic was one of my favourite TV shows as a kid @arf777 :)

Here's another clip.....


I'll look forward to reading your thoughts on the Monkey Shoulder. It seems it has the thumbs up from EDA, Snappo & lwein (and me of course) - but will you like it too???? Time will tell I guess... :)
 

arf777

No longer dogless
:) ......... Monkey Magic was one of my favourite TV shows as a kid @arf777 :)

Here's another clip.....


I'll look forward to reading your thoughts on the Monkey Shoulder. It seems it has the thumbs up from EDA, Snappo & lwein (and me of course) - but will you like it too???? Time will tell I guess... :)


I now have to track down all of this version and watch it. Love the cheesy effects.

I have at least four print versions and 2 film versions of the Monkey King/Journey to the West. There is even a version of him in Marvel comics (he doesn't look like a monkey there, but his name is Sun Wukong, he has the Iron Staff, steals the Peaches of Immortality, etc).

And I bet he'd have loved good scotch.
 

FLelder ent

Well-Known Member
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My friend came down with emphysema so gave up cigarettes and combusting. He then got a good doctors report and told me he missed the effects of combusting, I offered him my MFLB. When he came by he brought this Chivas 18, he said he always liked Chivas. Not bad, not bad at all.
 

lwien

Well-Known Member
Ok, so this inquiry is not in regards to either a scotch or a bourbon but rather an Irish whiskey. Has anyone tried Bushmills Black Bush?

Single malts became a little too rich for my blood so I went to Jameson which was a bit easier on the pocketbook. Nice Irish blend but a bit too bland.
 
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DDave

Vape Wizard
Accessory Maker
When I was into the single malts, what a treat it was to sip Laphroaig Single Malt Whisky - 10 Year Old. This has to be one of Scotland's most characterful drams. Laphroaig is about as classic Islay as you can get. Very heavily peated, light bodied, a powerhouse of maritime flavors and smoke, smoke, and .. smoke. (Not the FuckCombustion kind of smoke, just the flavor!).

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Snappo

Caveat Emptor - "A Billion People Can Be Wrong!"
Accessory Maker
Ok, so this inquiry is not in regards to either a scotch or a bourbon but rather an Irish whiskey. Has anyone tried Bushmills Black Bush?

Single malts became a little too rich for my blood so I went to Jameson which was a bit easier on the pocketbook. Nice Irish blend but a bit too bland.
I'll bet you'd enjoy Monkey Shoulder and also Famous Grouse - neither one is bland by any stretch.
 

lwien

Well-Known Member
I'll bet you'd enjoy Monkey Shoulder and also Famous Grouse - neither one is bland by any stretch.

Yup. Tried Monkey Shoulder about a month ago. Not bad. Just lookin' for something a bit different. Heard the Bushmills Black uses a LOT of malt that's also aged for a time in Sherry barrels. Should be getting some next week. Will report back.....
 

seaofgreens

My Mind Is Free
:shrug: Maybe I haven't been in the game long enough, or the environment is different (basically it's hot as heck out here all year long). Usually I'll throw the glass I'll be drinking with in the freezer a couple of hours before hand and yes, it's milder than a warm glass but IMO preferable under the right circumstances.

Who knows, year or two down the line I might be kicking myself for this post but just for the sake of what I'm doing now I thought I'd throw it out there.

So... been a year or two.... ? :p

I am curious where folks feel bourbon tastes sweet though? I feel like that is the same as mistaking Jack Daniels for Bourbon (it is a whiskey,) which is a pretty sweet drink, but often mistaken/synonymous with Jim Beam, which IS a bourbon, and really not sweet at all, more leathery/oaky. I honestly find Jim Beam Black keeps up just fine with the likes of Knob Creek and Woodford Reserve. But if you really want the pinacle of semi-affordable bourbon, do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle of Bookers. (There's certainly more expensive/critically touted bottles, but this stuff is gold, trust me.)

I didn't see any mention of Evan Williams here either. Only cheap ($17/gallon cheap) bourbon I can pleasantly sip neat and one bottle essentially lasts half a year when you drink like me.

Been interesting reading a bit about these single malts that yall seem to be enjoying. I will have to pick one up next time and give that genre a more appreciative sip.
 

lwien

Well-Known Member
Yup. Tried Monkey Shoulder about a month ago. Not bad. Just lookin' for something a bit different. Heard the Bushmills Black uses a LOT of malt that's also aged for a time in Sherry barrels. Should be getting some next week. Will report back.....

In regards to the Bushmills Black, it smells like fruitcake. Taste is good but nothing to write home about.
 

Seren

Away with the fairies

Yum - the first time I tried Laphroig it instantly took me on a trip down memory lane - back to girl guide camps and smoking campfires ...... not that I swigged whisky at camps of course! :ko:......... I picked up another bottle of Jura Superstition yesterday - it's such a pleasant drink, not as peaty as Laphroig - more delicate, but very moreish. I'll be picking up a Speyside malt next though - some Dalwhinnie - it's delicious - reminds me of caramel - it's so smooth and has a lovely creamy sweetness to it :luv:

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GetLeft

Well-Known Member
My wonderful scotch-knowing brother gifted me a bottle of the Glenlivet 18 a couple of months ago. I had purchased the same a year or so ago, and it took me a while to get through it. Recognized there was something to the whole scotch thing, but wasn't quite sure what it was. Opened that gifted bottle tonight, and it has spelled things out a little more clearly. There is indeed something to the whole scotch thing.
 
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