William Grant & Sons has announced the arrival of the ground-breaking blend-ed malt Scotch whisky, Monkey Shoulder, on American shores.
Often referred to as one of the “most coveted” spirits in the U.S. due to its popularity among the bartending community and whisky connoisseurs, Monkey Shoulder has just landed exclusively in Illinois.

An irreverent nod to the traditional distillery malt-men who painstakingly turn malt barley by hand and wooden schiel, the “Monkey Shoulder” moniker refers to the colloquial term of a once common temporary injury, when after a long day’s work, a maltman would feel as though he had a monkey on his shoulder. While the injury is fortunately a thing of the past, the dedication to quality and craftsmanship involved in the hand turning of barley lives on in the Monkey Shoulder distillation process and the name today.

“Monkey Shoulder is a new style of Scotch whisky – one rooted in heritage and tradition but firmly grounded in the contemporary world. Connoisseurs appreciate that Monkey Shoulder is a new style of Speyside whisky from a known world class distiller, while whisky newcomers are drawn to the mixability of the quality liquid and the irreverent and cheeky personality Monkey Shoulder presents to the category,” said Cindy Wang, senior brand manager, Monkey Shoulder.