Monkey Shoulder Welcomes Samuel Ng As New Brand Ambassador Of Southeast Asia.

Monkey Shoulder, described as a free-spirited, fun loving blended malt owned by William Grant & Sons introduced Samuel Ng as its new regional brand ambassador for Southeast Asia on the 18th of November 2020. Conducted over Zoom video conference, the introduction was made over a few Monkey Shoulder concoctions whilst Samuel shared on his journey to becoming brand ambassador as well as about the Monkey Shoulder brand itself. Dynamic, confident and exuding boyish charm that’s underscored with a tinge of mischief, Samuel is well-aligned with the cheekiest brand in the world of whiskey.

As the face of the brand, Samuel is responsible for bringing Monkey Shoulder’s brand story and mischievous attitude to life across SEA. Specifically in Malaysia, a mature single malt market where malts are fast growing ahead of blended whisky and a younger consumer base continues to drive demand, Sam will play a pivotal role in cultivating advocacy and spreading the brand’s ‘made for mixing’ ethos amongst consumers and the bar community to support the brand’s continued growth in the region.

“It is an honour to be joining such an exciting and dynamic brand. Monkey Shoulder is a whisky I have always admired and one that has never been afraid to challenge convention. I’m excited to take Monkey Shoulder into more bars around the region and bring even more cocktail lovers into the cheeky world of Monkey Shoulder,” said Samuel. “My mission is to show consumers that they can have fun with whisky – no more stuffy rules or ‘on the rocks’ only. There’s room to get playful and mix things up!”

Throughout his 17-year career in the hospitality industry, Samuel has held various positions where he honed his skills in bartending and brand advocacy. Most recently, Samuel served as Brand Ambassador and Trade Marketing Manager of Asia for an Australian craft gin distillery, which brought the Australian native to the shores of Singapore two years ago. Prior to his time as brand ambassador, Samuel was bartender and General Manager at Australia’s internationally acclaimed cocktail bar, The Black Pearl.

A celebrated bartender, Samuel has won numerous local and international accolades, including Best International High Volume Cocktail bar at the Spirited Awards 2015 and Best Bar in Australasia 2013 at Drinks International ‘Worlds 50 best bars’ during his tenure at The Black Pearl. 

“Samuel is a talented mixologist and advocate for both Monkey Shoulder and the industry as a whole. His expertise, commitment to his craft and fun-loving personality make him a perfect fit for this role. We’re excited to have him on the team and look forward to seeing how he will shake things up in the region,” commented Global Brand Ambassador, Joe Petch. “As a 100% malt whisky made for mixing, we’re confident that Monkey Shoulder has the perfect mix of what it takes to attract traditional malt drinkers across Malaysia while appealing to a younger audience with our cheeky personality and mixability.”

Why The Name Monkey Shoulder?
The Monkey Shoulder nomenclature is derived from the traditional malt whiskey making process, where malted barley is turned by hand by men using large heavy malt shovels. Back in the day, some of these malt men would develop a strain injury, which had a tendency to cause their arms to hang down, a bit like a monkey’s and so they nicknamed it ‘monkey shoulder’. And so, the name Monkey Shoulder was adopted as an honour to its whiskey tradition.

Visuals: Monkey Shoulder & William Grant & Sons