Monkey Shoulder bringing Speyside to the central belt

A Scotch malt whisky made for mixing is on a mission to get people to play around with their whisky and generally deliver some classic Monkey mischief.

Monkey Shoulder is made from a unique combination of three tasty Speyside Malts, expertly married in small batches, creating a smooth, versatile flavour like no other.

Never one to play by the rules, the brand is inspiring people to ‘feed their inner monkey’ with a series of high energy bar takeovers and serving refreshing cocktails from their notorious roaming Monkey Shoulder Tea Trolleys.

Monkey Shoulder’s tour aims to drive advocacy with bartenders through exciting brand collaborations and on-trade initiatives, as well as connecting with drinkers with playful and mischievous experiences.

The fun will run from Wednesday 24 July to Saturday 27 July in a number of bars across both Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Sure to be a hit with bartenders will be the newly launched Monkey Shoulder Breakdown Service. This first-of-its-kind on-trade initiative is here to save the day for bartenders, by making the dreaded task of breaking down the bar a whole lot easier and fun.

The Breakdown Service team will be delivering Lazy Old Fashioneds and Boilermakers, as well as other tasty treats, to keep spirits high during the after-hours clean up session. Following successful pilots in London, Manchester and Liverpool, The Breakdown Service will be operating between midnight and 3am across both cities over the course of the week.

To get involved, bar teams simply need to text or call 07981 86 99 96 to book in their breakdown service.

John Wayte, Monkey Shoulder UK brand ambassador said: ‘We can’t wait to shake things up and bring the fun with our epic Breakdown Service, S.W.A.T. and bar takeovers to help everyone feed their inner monkey. We are particularly excited for our Breakdown Service to support the legendary bar teams we love and respect; letting them put their feet up and have a drink on us, to say thank you for all their hard work!’

Glasgow:
· Thursday 25 July: Van Winkle, Boteco do Brasil, Maggie Mays, Bar 91, Bar Soba (Merchant City), The Amsterdam, Max’s
· Friday 26 July: Tingle, Tabac, Fault and Blame, The Howlin Wolf, Saint Jude’s, Bloc+, The Bunker, Tikki Bar, Slouch
· Saturday 27 July: King Tuts, Variety Bar, Broadcast, Box, Chinaski’s, Strip Joint, The Dirty Duchess, Bag O’ Nails, Record Factory

The Monkey Shoulder Tea Trolley

Edinburgh:
· Wednesday 24 July: High Dive, McSorleys, Paradise Palms, Summerhall, The Abbey
· Thursday 25 July: Empress of Broughton Street, Jeremiah’s Taproom, Joseph Pearces, Kin, Nauticus, Nobles, Sofi’s Bar, The Brass Monkey, The Fly Half, Treacle, Woodland Creatures
· Friday 26 July: Akva, Bennet’s Bar, Burlington Bros Casting Agency, Harry’s Bar, Panda & Sons, The Beer Kitchen, The Black Cat, The Blackbird, The Raging Bull
· Saturday 27 July: 99 Hanover, Bramble, Hoot the Redeemer, Nightcap, Tonic, 52 Canoes, Cold Town House, Dragonfly, Holyrood 9a, OX184

The Monkey Shoulder team will also be taking over the bar at 4042 in Edinburgh from 5pm-3am on Friday 26 July. Expect DJs, arcade games, a Monkey Shoulder vending machine and discounted Monkey Shoulder cocktails all night long. Cocktails on offer: Penichillin’ (slushie), Smokey Cokey (with Smokey Monkey), Lazy Old Fashioned, Show me the Monkey and Ginger Monkey.

The notorious roaming Monkey Shoulder Tea Trolleys – pimped out drinks trolleys kitted out with DJ decks – will be spinning tracks and handing out free cocktails at Committee Room in Glasgow and Ghillie in Edinburgh. Plus, we will be helping Browns in Edinburgh celebrate their new look as they relaunch with a bang! Cocktails on offer: Lazy Old Fashioned, Show me the Monkey and Ginger Monkey.

· Thursday 25 July: Browns, Edinburgh relaunch party
· Saturday 27 July: Committee Room, Glasgow, 6-10pm
· Saturday 27th July: Ghillie, Edinburgh, 6-10pm

With a cheeky disregard for tradition and commitment to unconventional serves, Monkey Shoulder brings great Scotch to a new generation of whisky drinker.

The name is rooted in malt whisky history and inspired by the malt men who still turn the malting barley by hand. The skill of the malt man is demonstrated when he turns the malting barley using a shiel (wooden shovel). Years ago, some malt men used to develop a temporary strain known by the men as Monkey Shoulder. Thankfully, practices have changed and the condition no longer exists!

Monkey Shoulder has been named the ‘World’s Top Trending Scotch’ for the fifth year running, as well as ‘World’s Best Selling Scotch’ by the Drinks International Annual Report, which polls leading figures from the world’s best bars.