Will try Highland Park 12yo and Dolin Blanc later as an aperitif. It's an intriguing combo I never thought of as a less herbal Dry Manhattan. We shall see.

I can see how ppl are struggling with this one a bit, reading others’ comments. Falls between the usual categories of sweet Manhattan and dry martini. I really love an affinity and was expecting something in that vein, but actually it was like a Manhattan variation being taken back towards a martini/Martinez. The scotch will make a massive difference. I used glenmorangie, Dolin Blanc and Bitter truth Creole bitters, and the result was surprisingly dry and savoury with almost salty dry Sherry notes. Enjoyed.

Monkey Shoulder with Carpano dry vermouth is quite nice. If you enjoy a Rob Roy but want something a bit drier and lighter, this is for you.

I found this much vermouth muted the Scotch. Better with only about 10ml.

Agree with Mr. Fenton. Monkey Shoulder + Dolin Blanc didn't work for me, but then Monkey Shoulder in [something else] wasn't great either. Will try again with another scotch.

I found it less than the sum of its parts, and preferred variations made with mezcal and grappa.

Such an array of both Scotch and vermouth that I’m sure some combos work. I would probably try it with Dolin Blanc and a more assertive whisky if I were ever to try it again.

I was a bit surprised by this. I used Shieldaig (current in-house blended trial) and Cocchi Americano, which is cut 5:1 with rich cane syrup. I will try that latter Cocchi/cane blend with other whisky brands. It had Scotch-leaning Vieux Carre flavors in a way. Hmm...

This cocktail is a resounding success. Generous use of Chivas 18 YO certainly helped in that regard!